Death's Son (And All Its Perks)
by Pey119
Summary: Nico is busy looking for his missing cousin, Percy, when Anubis comes to him with a proposition, one that could win both wars without even trying. But will becoming his host be that easy? Budding Solangelo, slightly dark!Nico as it progresses.
1. Chapter 1

**_**Chapter 1**_**

Nico di Angelo knew he was in trouble the minute he felt the foreign god's power. Even then, something inside him told him to stay put. Whether it was the link to someone of the same powers or the mere laziness of not wanting to get up, Nico stayed sitting against the headstone.

He had been searching for Percy, even though he knew it was a lost cause. He had searched everywhere, including the Underworld and every country he could think of. None held the idiotic son of Poseidon, nor held any clues of his whereabouts. Nico had given up, but Annabeth refused to. Even though he was gone. Disappeared.

Nico had taken a break in the cemetery when he first started to feel the power, causing his senses to go on high alert. Looking around, he noticed the area darken as all the mortals soon left, mumbling about rain and bad weather. Grabbing the hilt of his sword, Nico finally stood up. "Who's there?"

"Nico di Angelo. Nice to meet you." a voice said from behind him, making him spin around quickly. A boy about sixteen perched on a nearby mausoleum, his eyes and hair dark enough to match Nico's. He was smirking slightly, messing with the laces of his combat boots.

"So, what monster are you?" Nico asked, gripping his sword tightly but otherwise staying calm. "Do you know where Percy is?"

The boy smiled, jumping down from the mausoleum and holding his hand out to shake. "Anubis, the Egyptian god of-"

"Death." Nico finished. "Yeah, I know you. What do you want?"

Anubis was a bit taken aback before smiling. "I like you."

Nico rolled his eyes, lowering his sword. "I'm busy and don't feel like dealing with anything Egyptian. Now, if you would be so kind-"

"Your father sent me." Anubis looked serious for the first time since being there. "So I think you should hear me out. And you didn't look quite busy unless you were busy taking a nap."

Nico looked at him in confusion, trying to fit the puzzle pieces together. Why on earth would Hades send an Egyptian god as a messenger? Unless... "Is something wrong?"

Anubis shrugged. "There are multiple ways to look at it. I see it as a way to help both of our problems."

"You know where I can find Percy?!" Nico perked his head up, all traces of fear forgotten. "Then tell me, you jackal-headed freak!"

Anubis crossed his arms. "I don't know where he is, so please restrain from name calling. I get that enough as it is."

"Then there's no other problems you can help me with." Nico turned to leave, sheathing his sword.

"There's a war coming." Anubis said calmly. "We all know it. The sea god's spawn is only the start of it."

Nico bit his lip. "What did my father say?"

Anubis smiled. "Now who wants to talk?"

Nico walked up to him quickly, grabbing his collar. "Stop playing with me and spill!" Was he nervous about yelling at a god that could probably kill him in a wave of the hand? Usually, the answer would be yes. But lately nothing was of the usual. With Percy gone the world felt like it had been turned upside down.

Anubis gently unclasped his fingers from his shirt, pushing him away. "Calm down. You Greeks are so uptight."

"You Egyptians are so irrelevant and show up at the worst times." Nico countered.

"Your father picked the time."

"My father is an a-"

"Do you really want to test him whilst we stand in a graveyard?" Anubis interrupted. "Uptight yet irresponsible."

Nico bit his lip, trying to control his anger. There was a reason he tried to cross paths with this death god the lease amount possible. Without even trying, Anubis seemed to annoy him to no end. "Tell me why you're here."

"A deal. To help both our sides in both our wars." Anubis crossed his arms, his smile dropping. "We're both having trouble and could use some help."

Nico nodded a little. "So you have insight about our upcoming war? Why do you think we'll need you?"

"Because you will face beings that can only be killed when demigods and gods work together." Anubis explained. "I don't see any of your deities helping, no offense."

"I took offense look ago." Nico sighed heavily, putting his head in his hands. "Why are these things always up to me?"

"You're powerful. Almost too powerful. And your bloodline is very unique." Anubis commented.

"Okay, now you sound like a stalker." Nico sat down, kicking at a stray rock. "Perfect."

"Do you know of Egyptian ways?" Anubis asked, sitting next to him. "If so, this talk will go much quicker."

"This talk. You sound like we're breaking up."

"We barely-"

"I was joking." Nico gazed at him closely. "You don't get out much, do you?"

"Do you know of Egyptian culture or not?" Anubis asked, flushed in embarrassment. Could gods get embarrassed? Mentally, Nico shrugged. It wouldn't be very surprising, with all the things he'd seen considered.

"I know you weirdos mummified people and have your hearts weighed next to a feather. Which seems physically impossible if you think about it. No human heart would ever weight less than a feather, so basically you're setting everybody up with punishment. Not a terrific way of judgment, especially compared to the Greek side of things. But I guess it's alright. You don't have to deal with as much souls and you can spend your time with your silly little hosts-"

"So you do know. Thanks." Anubis cut in. "And they're not silly little hosts. They're Egyptian magicians."

"That's great. What does this have to do with me?" Nico asked. "Because if you're implying what I think you're implying, my answer is no."

"Hear me out-"

"No."

"Your father came to me with the idea!" Anubis glared at him. "He thought, with our combined powers, we could increase the odds of both of our successes with our wars."

Nico rolled his eyes. "I don't fancy you in my body, no offense."

"Any other ideas, Nico? We both need help. Don't you get it? This may be the only way to survival." Anubis pleaded.

"They'll think of me even more as a traitor." Nico stood up. "I'm leaving."

"They don't need to know, you idiot." Anubis growled. "Let down your pride and think about how many lives you could save. How many lives _we_ could save."

"You know, you're really annoying." Nico managed, his mouth going dry. He knew, without a doubt, that this was what he had to do, but he didn't like it. He didn't want to own up to it or become the martyred hero. No, all he wanted to do was stay safe in the Underworld and let the others win. The heroes. Nico was no hero, no matter what he said. Everything he did was for him or his family. Not anybody else. He was no hero.

Yet, he still found himself saying yes to Anubis that night.

And everything changed for the worst.


	2. Chapter 2

**_**Chapter 2**_**

"How do we do this?" Nico asked, standing in the cemetery nervously. "Do you just enter me or something? Wait, scratch that because that sounds horrible."

Anubis frowned, watching him. "Why are you so worked up?"

"Because I'm about to get a very annoying god in me." Nico replied bitterly. "And you won't leave until the wars are over."

"Well,...-"

"Well?" Nico asked, turning to look at him quickly. "What do you mean 'well'?"

"First of all, you need to understand." Anubis held his hands out in surrender. "We can only take those of the blood of the pharaohs as hosts."

"So go find one of those." Nico stated.

"I did. You." Anubis watched him closely. "Your blood is very unique. That's why you're so powerful. Half of your genetic makeup is from Hades. So you have all of that power. Then, you have your mother's side. She was born in Rome before moving to Venice. She was descended from one of the pharaohs, but her mother was one of my hosts."

Nico looked up in surprise. "So, technically-"

"You are descended from me and are the child of your father. You are __ _ _very__ powerful for a demigod. That's what makes all of this powerful." Anubis continued. "But there's a downside."

Nico crossed his arms. "Get it over with."

"Because of the death in your soul, my soul would connect with yours." Anubis replied carefully.

"Okay...? What is that supposed to mean?" Nico asked.

"It means that if you become my host, there's no going back." Anubis said quietly. "My soul would never be able to unravel itself from yours."

"Whelp, this has been a great talk. I've got to go now." Nico grabbed his sword off the ground.

"Nico," Anubis pleaded. "Both our worlds need this. You know that."

"You're going to be in my head until the day I die!" Nico shouted. "No!"

"I can draw away my subconscious. Most of the time it will be like an empathy link." Anubis explained.

Nico shook his head. "I'm my own person."

"We've established that." Anubis agreed. "But you have to be the hero. No one else can."

"I'm no hero." Nico said bitterly.

"Then at least be the martyr." Anubis replied. "For your sister and your friends."

"Stop acting like you know me!" Nico yelled, clenching his fists. Anubis moved up a couple places on the scale of 1 to hate.

"I will when we join." Anubis replied. "And you will know me just as well."

"I hate you." Nico whispered, glaring at the ground.

Anubis walked up to him, gently touching his shoulder. "Nico, you know what you have to do."

"Make it fast before I change my mind." Nico muttered, crossing his arms over his chest tightly.

Anubis smiled in relief, handing him a necklace with a jackal pennant. "Put this on."

Nico nodded, taking it from him and putting it on.

"Always wear it on the outside of your clothes." Anubis instructed. "Don't ever take it off."

Nico nodded. "Okay, hurry up."

Anubis put on his own necklace, this of the symbol of Hades. "This shows we're connected to any Egyptian that sees you."

"Great," Nico replied stubbornly.

Anubis rolled his eyes, putting a hand to his forehead. "Close your eyes."

" _ _You__ close your eyes." Nico shot back.

"Close your eyes unless you want to go blind." Anubis replied.

Nico sighed heavily, closing his eyes. "Don't try anything funny."

Anubis nodded, closing his eyes in concentration. His form began to glow, Nico seeing the light through his closed eye lids. Once the light was gone, Nico opened his eyes. Power surged through his veins as his heart sped up, his eyes widening in shock.

 _ _It worked.__ Anubis' voice spoke in his mind. __I'm surprised it didn't take more. You feel that power? That's what we're going to use to win.__

Nico nodded, shaking as he tried to get used to it. He started to breathe heavily, smiling.

He could use the power to find Percy.

 _ _Yes, you can.__ Anubis agreed.

Nico frowned immediately. "You can read my thoughts. That's rather intrusive, don't you think?"

 _ _I could also take over your body but I haven't done that.__ Anubis replied. __Learn to appreciate what you have.__

Nico frowned, fingering the necklace he wore. "I have to make a stop at Camp Jupiter, to check in on Hazel."

 _ _I'm not stopping you.__

Nico sighed, rubbing his head. This was going to be a long life.


	3. Chapter 3

**_**A.N: Walt won't be in this story, so act like he doesn't exist. Nico is gay, but with Anubis' and his souls connected, he may start to inhabit some of his feelings.**_**

 ** _ **Chapter 3**_**

"This is stupid." Nico muttered, going up to the large wall. "I don't want to meet them."

 _ _You have to.__ Anubis replied.

Nico sighed, kicking at the wall. "Hello? You going to let me in?"

 _ _You have to open it yourself.__

"That's rude, to not let your hero in!" Nico shouted, ignoring Anubis. "You want me to break down the wall?! Fine!"

 _ _That's what I said earlier.__ Anubis commented, sounding amused.

"No, you said to __open__ it. I'm going to __break__ it." Nico thrust his hands out, feeling the obsidian in the door. Smiling to himself, he clenched his fists as he watched it shatter into a million pieces.

"Ha! Bet you can't fix that!" Nico crossed his arms, proud at himself.

 _ _Actually, they can.__

"You know what, stop talking to me!" Nico yelled, glaring at the sky. "You don't get to talk anymore!"

"Mate, are you okay?"

Nico snapped his head up to see inside the building, seeing a girl and boy around his age. The girl, the one that had spoken, had a British accent. Her blonde hair was up in a ponytail, wearing an all white outfit except for her black combat boots.

"He broke down the door. He's probably a godling." the boy whispered. His skin was darker, but you could see minor similarities between them.

 _ _They're siblings.__

"What did I just say?!" Nico grabbed his hair roughly. " _ _Shut up__." Having Anubis in his brain took every chance of control away from Nico. He thought about things less, so Anubis couldn't snoop, and couldn't control the urge to yell at the annoying jackal-headed freak. He knew something would need to change, but he wasn't sure what.

"Hey, why don't you come inside?" the boy said gently. "I know this is probably all confusing, but we can explain it to you."

"I don't need explanations." Nico managed, starting to calm down. "Just...you're Carter, right?"

The boy looked shocked before nodding. "Yeah, I'm Carter Kane. This is my sister-"

"Sadie." Nico finished. "Yeah, I know. Trust me, he won't shut up with facts."

 _ _Have you ever heard yourself speak?__

Nico yelled out in frustration. "Can I mute you?!"

The girl laughed. "That would have been a handy tool with Isis."

 _ _She was hosted by Isis, while Carter was hosted by Horus.__

"But they got away from their problems, didn't they?" Nico asked, yanking at his necklace but not pulling it off. He then turned to Carter, sighing. "Can I come in?"

Carter nodded, stepping away. Nico walked in, looking around the entrance hall uneasily. Egyptian gods had never been his favorites, nor the kindest. Now he was stuck in a mansion worshiping them.

 _ _Not all of us are that way.__ Anubis sounded hurt. __I'll have you know I hate some of them almost as much as you do.__

"Did I ask for your opinion? No, I didn't think so." Nico replied bitterly, turning to the two others. "I'm Nico di Angelo."

Carter nodded. "Are you hungry? It's about dinner time."

"Sure," Nico replied, frowning slightly. He followed them to a dinning room, other teenagers and kids seated around it.

 _ _The cat.__ Anubis sounded disgusted, growling slightly.

"Huh?" Nico looked up in confusion. Why listening to Anubis caused him to look up, he wasn't sure. It wasn't like he was hanging out above his head, looking down at Nico.

Carter stopped when he did, watching him carefully.

A woman at the head of the table stood up, glaring at him. "Why would you bring the dog in?"

Nico felt his body being taken over, Anubis at the reins as he crouched in a fighting position. "I'm not a dog, __cat.__ "

When Anubis talked, his voice came out deeper, his accent Egyptian. Nico hated the change to himself immediately.

The girl ran over to Nico/Anubis quickly, looking into his eyes. "Anubis?"

Nico felt like a backseat passenger as his body nodded to the girl before glaring again at the woman.

"Wait." Carter stood between them, looking at Nico. "Anubis, you have a host?"

Nico finally got control back, breathing heavily. "Stop talking like I'm not here. Anubis, do that again and I'll kill myself to kill you."

 _ _Then how would you win the war?__

"I would find a way." Nico responded.

Sadie looked extremely happy for some reason, staying close to Nico. Carter gave her a disapproving look but kept his attention on Nico. "Anubis brought you here to help us?"

"Unfortunately." Nico agreed. "Can I talk to you privately?"

Sadie frowned. "Whatever you have to say, you can say it to me."

"Yeah, but that would include talking to you." Nico replied, trying to fight the feelings coming from Anubis' soul. That dog liked this girl, but Nico refused to give in to it.

Sadie suddenly had a staff in her hand, glaring at him. "What did-"

"Let's go." Carter grabbed Nico's arm, pulling him out. He led him to a bedroom, closing the door. "My advice, don't say stuff like that to her."

Nico shrugged. "Look, Anubis finds this all important so I guess I have to tell you."

Carter nodded, looking serious. "Okay. What is it?"

"I'm a Greek demigod." Nico blurted, knowing he couldn't sugarcoat it. "My father is Hades."

Carter stared at him for a second. "So you're a god."

Nico shook his head. "Half god. But now I have Anubis in me so I'm getting there."

 _ _Am not.__

"Did I ask you?!" Nico screamed, his heart speeding up as his anger got the best of him.

Carter coughed into his hand. "Try to ignore him. He might go away."

Nico laughed without humor. "I tried."

"Okay...so you're half god." Carter accepted. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It should be impossible for an Egyptian god to take a demigod host, but because of my blood it works for me and him."

"So you're one of a kind." Carter summoned up. "People will try to get their hands on you."

Nico nodded. "You guys are the only ones I've told so far. Anubis and I made a deal, so we'll be working on both of our wars. So I won't be able to stay here long each time I come."

Carter nodded. "Understood. Do the Greeks need help?"

"Not Egyptian." Nico shot him down immediately. "But we'll be fine."

"A warning," Carter turned to leave but stopped. "I'm pretty sure Sadie likes Anubis."

Nico nodded. "I know."

Carter nodded. "If you and her...don't hurt her."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Never going to happen. I'm..." Nico froze, unsure what to say. Would Carter make fun of him? He had been updated on the current world and knew it was _much_ more accepting than the world he was born into, but old habits died hard. Blurting a secret out was never going to be easy for him.

"You're...?" Carter looked at him in confusion.

Nico breathed out heavily. "I'm...not attracted to females."

" _ _Oh,...__ " Carter nodded in understanding. "You could have just said you were gay."

Nico flushed in embarrassment, looking down. "That's the first time I ever said it."

Carter stopped his casual demeanor and looked at him closely. "Oh,...sorry. But nobody here will mind, so don't be afraid of it. There will be some jerks out there, but it's not like you can change it. I mean, I've had people been rude to me because of the color of my skin. That doesn't mean I'm going to hide it. It's who I am, and that's who you are. So don't be afraid of it."

Nico smiled softly after a second, every fear he had dying down. At least for now, anyways. Talking To Carter about it made him feel slightly better about the situation, even if he wasn't ready to tell anyone else. "Thanks,..."

"No problem. And this is your room while you're here, so feel free to sleep if you want." Carter invited, disappearing out the door.

Nico sighed, closing the door before laying on the bed. Had he really done what he just thought he had?

Carter's words, however, stopped him from worrying. For the first time, he didn't feel alone with dealing with problems like that. Carter understood the feeling of being discriminated because of who he was. Nico wasn't the only one.

Smiling, Nico slept soundly for the first time in months.


	4. Chapter 4

**_**Chapter 4**_**

"I guess he does sleep like the dead. Death Kid, you alive?"

"Of course he's alive, Sadie."

"Well, I'm sorry that he just refuses to wake up. Wait, I have an idea."

"Sadie, don't-"

Nico's eyes opened when he felt the water hit him, jerking into a sitting position. Looking around, Carter and Sadie were standing next to him. Sadie had her hair tied back, an empty cup in her hand.

"Anubis, you missed breakfast." she stated.

"How many times do I have to tell you-"

"I can call him whatever I want, dear brother of mine." she came up to Nico, grabbing his arm. "Up! You're not a zombie, are you?"

Nico yanked his arm away from her. "I'm not coming to breakfast or lunch. I have to leave."

Carter frowned. "Oh,...okay. When are you coming back?"

Sadie crossed her arms, pouting. "You just got here. You didn't practice magic or anything. All you did was talk to Carter."

Nico stood up, slipping his jacket on. "I know, but I really have to go. I've got another war to worry about, too."

"You don't even know the details of our war." Sadie countered. She then stood in front of him, looking at him closely. "Or are you just wanting to get back to your girlfriend? Because she can wait a couple days-"

"Sadie-"

"because she doesn't own you." Sadie continued, ignoring Carter's protest. "So tell her that you have stuff to do and stay-"

"Shut up." Nico glared at her, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I don't have a girlfriend. I have a world to save and a sister to check in with. So if you would be so kind to grant me the cutesy of leaving, I would greatly appreciate it."

 _ _Nico, don't be mean.__

"I can do whatever I want, jackal brain." Nico muttered, brushing some hair behind his ear.

"You shouldn't talk out loud. You look schizophrenic." Sadie commented, still looking upset.

"Sweet of you to notice." Nico replied bitterly.

"Do you know when you're coming back?" Carter asked awkwardly.

Nico shrugged. "I have no idea. I won't be gone that long."

He made sure he had everything before shaking Carter's hand. "I'll be back."

The boy nodded, shaking his hand.

Nico sighed, letting his hand go before stepping into the shadows. Used to this feeling by now, he let himself get consumed and transported to Camp Jupiter.

 _ _My power isn't mixing well with Roman.__

"That's the best news I've heard all day." Nico commented, sitting on the grass in front of the shrine of Pluto. At the moment, he was alone.

 _ _Nico, that's serious. If you get attacked and I can't save you...__

"I can save myself. I have before you took over my head. And I won't get attacked in Camp Jupiter."

Anubis mentally sighed.

"Nico?!" Hazel's voice broke the silence. "I brought a friend."

He stood up and faced her, freezing when he saw who was next to her. Percy...

Percy freaking Jackson.

Nico obviously stood in shock for too long because Anubis took over, smiling, holding his hand out to Percy. "Nice to meet you."

Nico mentally froze when Anubis' accent came out, looking at Hazel. She had noticed, her golden eyes trained on his face.

"I know you..." Percy also looked at him in confusion.

Nico took back his body quickly, freaking out but hiding it well, which seemed to be a good tactic when he had the ability to actually pull it off. He'd never admit it out loud, but anger issues were big for him. "Do you?"

Hazel seemed to relax at his voice. "Percy's lost his memory. I was wondering if you knew him-"

"Hazel, I don't." Nico cut in, half glaring at her.

"Oh, okay." she widened her eyes slightly.

"Did you have a different accent?" Percy asked. "That wasn't Greek or Roman..."

"It was none of your business." Nico responded.

 _ _You spend all that time looking for him and you act like a jerk?__

Nico scowled deeply, clenching his fists.

Frank ran up then, breaking the tension between the trio. "Hey, Nico..."

Nico nodded. "Hello, Frank. I need to speak with my sister. Take Percy where he needs to go?"

"I want to talk to you." Percy stated.

"I'm staying overnight." Nico responded, shuffling uncomfortably.

"You are?" Hazel looked at him in shock.

He nodded slightly.

Frank took Percy away, leaving the siblings alone.

"So, what's up?" Hazel asked, crossing her arms. "Do you know Percy? You said you've been-"

"I can't say." Nico interrupted. "Important things are at work here."

 _ _You think?__ Anubis asked sarcastically.

Nico frowned in annoyance, clenching his fists slightly.

Hazel eyed him closely. "Are you alright? You've been acting...weird."

Nico nodded. "I'm fine. Look, I need to talk to you about something else. I won"t be around as much because I have things to do. I'm going to go look for the Doors of Death." __And help the Egyptians,__ he added mentally.

She frowned, touching his arm gently. "Isn't that dangerous?"

He shrugged. "I'll be fine. Just remember to trust Percy Jackson. He's a good guy."

Hazel nodded, her eyes flashing slightly with an unspoken statement. __So you do know him, after all.__

He started to get antsy, bouncing slightly.

 _ _My power is not welcome here.__ Anubis explained, even his voice shaking slightly. His emotions seemed to be the cause of Nico's discomfort. __We can't stay long.__

Nico nodded slightly, letting out a deep breath.

Hazel frowned. "What is it?"

"N-Nothing. I have to go. I lied about staying." he kissed her cheek, shaking. "Bye,"

She frowned deeply, grabbing his arm. "Wait. Something's wrong with you."

"I'm fine." he stated, moving away slightly.

"How come I don't believe that?" she asked, crossing her arms.

He frowned, not saying anything.

"Are you sick? Hurt?" she asked worriedly. "Is dad overworking you?"

He shrugged. "Something like that."

"Okay...get going, then. Get some rest."

"I will." he promised, giving her a small smile. He stepped into the shadows of the shrine of Pluto, looking around before melting into the shadows.


	5. Chapter 5

**_**Chapter 5**_**

Nico hated magic and all that it stood for. Why did it have to be so hard? Watching the other magicians, it looked as simple as saying a magic word. But whenever he tried, something either blew up or slammed him in the head and knocked him out (that happened __way__ more than he thought it would).

Sadie turned out to not be as annoying as he originally thought but he found himself avoiding her. She liked him (or Anubis), that much was a given, but he wasn't comfortable telling her he was gay. He didn't know her well enough or how she would react. Even if she acted well, the others would find out from her and he just wasn't ready for that. Not yet.

But he found himself enjoying the nights he stayed there. They accepted him for who he was and the whole Anubis thing. At both of the camps, he felt in hiding. Every move he made was first thought about for minutes in his head, wondering if it would give him away. Even the demigods just seeing him made him nervous. If they caught on by seeing his pendent...

He missed just being able to talk to Hazel. She had left on that quest, so it was up to him to learn magic and find the Doors of Death. Neither was very appealing nor easy.

And where Anubis thought the Doors were...

He would rather learn magic.

When Sadie and Carter went to look for the scrolls, however, he finally found it time to look for the Doors. There wasn't much time left, so he felt almost forced.

But if he didn't do it, who would?

Going down to the Underworld was the hardest part. For some reason, Nico could feel Anubis' anxiety, and the Egyptian god was __really__ freaking out.

 _ _What?__ Nico asked mentally, trudging through the Fields of Punishment.

Anubis didn't respond, but Nico could tell something was wrong.

He kept going, however, starting to shake in nervousness. Hades was the one that made Anubis go in his head. Why was he acting like that? Wouldn't Hades be happy that the deal worked?

He got deeper into the Underworld, his skin growing more pale and his hands shaking slightly. All around him, light was barely visible as the darkness grew larger. Nico was used to the dark, but it was still unsettling. Something was...off.

He finally got to the barren wasteland next to the pit, not daring to breathe in fear of being heard. By what? He didn't know. But fear raked his body and kept Anubis silent. For the first time, he wished he could hear the annoying voice of his.

 _ _I have to do it, I have to do it.__ Nico thought to himself, walking even closer. __For Hazel. For Hazel...this is for Hazel.__

 _ _And Sadie. And Carter.__ He realized. __And Felix and Alyssa and all the others. This is for them.__

That was what gave him the courage to stare down into the pit. His eyes fixated on the inky blackness, hearing the static of white noise but knowing somewhere, deep below him, monsters howled and growled and feasted on each other. He knew, deep below him, could be the last place he ever stepped foot.

He took a deep breath, tasting the clean air before stepping into emptiness.

Nine days. Nine days of falling. They had always said that. But he had never believed it until he was actually experiencing it.

 **Day one.**

Anubis didn't answer or make himself known. Nico spent the time in fear, screaming for anyone and anything to help him. He changed his mind immediately. He regretted ever looking for the Doors.

 **Day two.**

No one had come. Not even his father. For the first time in his life, he felt truly alone. When he lived on the streets, he at least had other humans around him. Now, he had nothing. Absolutely nothing. Anubis didn't make himself known.

 **Day three.**

The feeling of falling faded away, so he was left with bleeding fists that scraped the walls and nothing to do but prepare for the death that obviously awaited him at the bottom. He hated the Egyptian death god. He abandoned him in his moment of weakness. In his moment of death. How ironic.

 **Day four.**

Nico's throat was dry, no more screams able to escape. He wasn't hungry, but he wanted water more than ever before. He felt like the air was drying his body out, shriveling it up. Anubis didn't even make his presence known.

 **Day five.**

He finally gave up. All hope, even the tiniest bit, vanished from his weary mind. He began to be able to hear noises, chirps and claws and the beat of wings. There was no voices, however. No humans. No Anubis.

 **Day six.**

He started praying to hit bottom. Maybe then he could finally die. Things would be so much better if he could just die. Anubis didn't voice his beliefs.

 **Day seven.**

Was he already dead? Vaguely, his mind told him he would never know. He would never escape the darkness, dead or alive. He missed Anubis.

 **Day eight.**

He gave up. Totally, unconditionally, wholeheartedly. He gave up.

 **Day nine...**


	6. Chapter 6

**_**Chapter 6**_**

The fall should've killed Nico. He should've been dead by the time he made it down, by the time he could smell Tartarus and see its landscape. But he wasn't. He survived. Maybe it was luck, maybe it was skill, maybe it was Anubis attached to his soul. Whatever it was, something let him survive that day.

He couldn't say he was very thankful. The only thing worse than the fall into Tartarus was the walk through it.

He landed with a bone crushing thump on dry ground. The sound he was praying not to hear came from his ankle, the snap of bone filling the silent surroundings. It would be the first sound he heard in Tartarus, but certainly not the last.

Cursing under his breath, he laid there in pain. He gave himself a couple of minutes to recover, his eyes closing slightly even though he knew how horrible the danger was. He hadn't slept in nine days. Could his body really handle much more?

Nico sat up, groaning in pain as he felt down to his ankle. It was too dark to see anything, but he felt the bone sticking out and the liquid that covered his hands. Feeling like crying, he whimpered softly. "Anubis..."

He didn't expect an answer and he didn't get one. Loneliness washed over him as he closed his eyes in hopelessness, blood and tears escaping his body. What could he possibly do now?

After a minute he wiped his tears, thinking aloud as he moved his hands to his ankle again. "Keep the blood in, then splint."

He took his jacket off, wrapping it around his foot tightly while cursing every person he could think of, Anubis included. How could he just abandon him? Weren't they joined for life? Well, his life didn't look much longer, anyways.

All he wanted was to strangle that jackal-headed god.

Once he got it tight enough, he couldn't tell if the blood stopped but went ahead anyways. He took his shirt off and ripped it to shreds, using the shreds to tie the jacket around it tighter. Pain erupted in his body, but he knew that was the only thing he could do, so he had to do it. He had to be able to walk on his foot or he definitely wouldn't make it out alive.

He sat there for a minute after that, fear bubbling in his chest. He then heard a sound not too far away, a clambering that began to get louder. Knowing it was coming towards him, he scrambled to his feet in whimpers and curses of pain. He felt around for his sword for a bit but couldn't find it, so he limped away as quickly as possible.

What felt like the worse pain then would turn into a simple annoyance.

* * *

Sadie and Carter were only planning on passing through that graveyard, not running into a certain god. Sadie's heart fluttered when she saw him, but she quickly became serious when she saw his expression. "What's wrong?"

Anubis gave her a small smile before looking to Carter. "My host, Nico...he's in trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Carter glanced around but stayed put, crossing his arms. "Because we don't have the time-"

"You wouldn't be able to help him, anyways. It's Greek trouble." Anubis glanced at the ground nervously, like it would swallow him. When it didn't, he looked back up at the Kane siblings. "I was going to say, I'm afraid he might not be able to help us."

"Us?"

"What the bloody hell do you mean?" Sadie was suddenly in his face, her hands on her hips. "Didn't the deal you make specifically say-"  
"He's dying." Anubis admitted. "The boy doesn't have long left. The time he has left will be given to help the Greeks and Romans, which I don't disagree with. He's the only one able to-"

"So he gets out of helping us? We spent so long teaching him and-"

"Sadie, didn't you hear him? He's dying." Carter replied, glancing at her. "We can't be mad at him for wanting to help his family."

"Carter's right." Anubis stated. "I just wanted to let you both know, so you weren't waiting and expecting him."

"So he really is dying?" Carter asked. "How...?"

"He's in Greek trouble. That's all I can say." Anubis replied. "He's...I'm trying to help but he's nowhere I can reach."

"But he's your host."

"Not in Ancient Greek places."

"That's stupid."

"Sadie..."

* * *

"Ow...ow...ow...ow..." Nico groaned in pain with every step, the pain in his foot boarder-lining on torture. His vision blurred and his stomach turned in hunger, but he continued through anything that tried to stop him. Nothing seemed to be a reality, so all he knew for certain was the fact that he was moving one foot in front of the other.

Light started to appear, just enough to see his surroundings dimly. He was in a long cavernous room, light coming from blobs along the floor. He didn't want to know what they were, but sat down anyways to check on his foot while he had the light to do so. The whole thing was badly swollen, blood leaking through the crappy splint he made. He didn't want to take said splint off to check anymore, so he got up again and walked.

Not having seen any monsters scared him more than anything. There was a reason nobody survived this. If it wasn't monsters, then what was it?

He wished he hadn't asked that question.

Nico had fallen nine days. Nine days down. But only spent a couple days down there. Why?

The twin giants got him and brought him out in that stupid jar. Anubis didn't help one bit.


	7. Chapter 7

As Nico sat next to his sister on the deck of the Argo II, he could barely keep his head up as he tried to get his thoughts together. He knew he had been in the jar, but couldn't remember it. He knew he had been in Tartarus, and couldn't forget it.

"Nico..." Hazel spoon fed him ambrosia. "If you want to talk..."

She didn't finish her thought, and he didn't answer. Absolutely no energy remained in his body, so all he did was sit there. Sit there and listen to Anubis' nagging voice in his brain.

 _ _Nico, I'm getting your memories.__

 _ _Nico...please talk to me.__

 _ _I couldn't reach you down there, it was Greek.__

 _…_ _ _.Nico, are you alright?__

Nico couldn't answer him if he wanted to. He was too weak to do anything but stare at nothing. The pain of his foot didn't even bother him anymore. In fact, he didn't even notice it.

"Nico...please answer me...are you okay?" Hazel's voice broke as she set the ambrosia aside. "We saved you. You're okay now...why won't you talk? What happened?"

Nico didn't answer. How would she ever understand what he had went through? How could she forgive him for doing that to himself, for putting her through the pain of anxiety and worry? Would she even want to forgive him?

 _ _If you don't answer her, I will__. Anubis warned.

When Nico didn't answer, or think back, Anubis took that as an opportunity. Before Nico realized what was going on, Anubis' voice and accent escaped his mouth. "I'm fine, Hazel. Don't worry so much."

She froze. "N-Nico?"

Nico couldn't find it in himself to care, so Anubis continued. "I'm fine. It just hurts...my foot, you know? I think I broke it."

"W-We'll fix it..." her eyes watered in confusion as she looked at the other demigods who were gathered not too far away. She spoke louder, her voice shaking. "Percy, can you bring something to fix his foot?"

The son of Poseidon nodded, walking off quickly.

"Nico...do you want to talk about it?" Hazel asked softly, reaching out and holding his hand.

Anubis averted Nico's eyes. "Not now..."

"Yeah,...of course..." Hazel brought his foot to her lap, looking at it. "What's this wrapped with?"

"My shirt." Anubis answered as Percy came back.

Percy immediately frowned, glancing at Nico up at down. "Hey...you sound..."

"Tired." Hazel cut in, taking the supplies from Percy. "How far are we from Annabeth?"

"Leo said like ten minutes." Percy replied, not taking his eyes off Nico.

Hazel started to fix his foot, frowning in concern.

"I have an extra shirt if you want it." Percy said quietly, eyeing Nico's bare torso in confusion. "Where'd yours go?"

"I fixed my foot with it." Anubis replied. He had all of Nico's memories, but didn't particularly like them.

"Your foot doesn't look fixed...but okay." Percy hovered next to them. "Should I stay and help?"

"I don't know..." Hazel looked desperate as she began to properly splint his foot. "We don't have an actual medic to check him and just look at him."

"I'm fine." Anubis repeated.

"You're hurt." Hazel didn't call him Nico anymore. She was afraid to, honestly. Hearing and seeing him like that...he was nowhere near who he used to be. He wasn't the Nico she knew.

And that ruined something for them they'd never get back.

 _ _Nico, she's close to crying. Please take over and help her.__ Anubis' voice was once again in his mind and not outside it.

Nico took a minute before responding. __Why do you care?__

 _ _She's your sister.__

 _ _So?__

 _ _That means she's my sister, too.__

Nico froze before getting slightly angry. Hazel was his half sister, not Anubis'. The Egyptian god wouldn't take anything else from him. So for the first time in awhile, he reached out and held Hazel's hand. "H-Hazel..."

She smiled softly when she heard his regular voice, but that only brought more questions. When she glanced at Percy, he was frowning deeply and looked in thought. Spending time with Annabeth must have rubbed off on him.

"It hurts but I'm okay." Nico admitted.

"I can't do anything else for your foot…"

"My foot doesn't hurt." Nico replied. "That's not what hurts."

Percy coughed slightly. "Your foot isn't hurting at all?"

Nico shook his head. "When it first happened it hurt but now it's just….not there? I don't feel it. I guess I just got used to it."

Percy frowned sadly but Hazel hid any emotions. She didn't want to make Nico feel any worse. So she busied herself with putting cream on bruises and putting bandages on cuts.

"We're almost there." Nico mumbled. "I can feel...I can feel it."

"Feel what?" Hazel asked, keeping her voice calm and low.

"Tar-..." his voice broke.

Percy froze. "You can feel that place, by Annabeth?"

He nodded.

"How can you feel it?"

Nico glanced down, his eyes watering as he his voice came out shaky and unstable. "It's something you can't forget."


	8. Chapter 8

When it came to Greek happenings, Anubis didn't feel comfortable or in control one bit. As they saved Annabeth (which was all he fully understood since Nico's mind was so raw and fragile), he had to take over the young boy's body too much. He watched as suspicions rose against him, and in turn, Nico. He knew he was turning Nico's only friends against him but was trying to save his life. When Nico was too hurt or slow to react, he would take over. His accent came out different and Percy Jackson noted that his fighting was very different than Nico's. But it kept his host alive and that was his main priority at the moment.

Maybe the Fates knew that Anubis would take control, maybe not. They were a Greek concept he had yet to understand. He was busy looking into more important things at the moment, like a surprise for Nico after all the fighting had ceased. If the young boy made it through the two wars he had gotten himself into, then he deserved it just as a starving man deserved a bowl of soup. It wasn't a great analogy, but he was never good at those kinds of things.

What brought up the Fates in his mind was the fact that he felt _wrong_. Every move he made felt like it would splinter the universe entirely. That may have been an overstatement, and he wasn't usually one for such things, but the severity of the situation made him different than his usual self. In reality, all overstatements aside, he had a feeling that what he had been doing wasn't what had been planned. He could almost feel the balance messing up, like all plans had been cast aside as soon as he took control of Nico's fragile body.

That's why he couldn't stop overthinking about that main thing he did, the one thing he did without trying to ask Nico about or thinking over himself. It was a rash decision that he made too quickly, and that would probably change everything that was ever set in place for the rest of the war. The only thing that even remotely comforted Anubis about the situation was the fact that maybe he had the power to change the Fates. Maybe, if they ever decided to cut Nico's string short, maybe he could stop them. Maybe...

He knew the statue was important to the Greek efforts and had gone to help when he noticed that they had it under control. The three boys-Anubis was almost certain of their names: Jason, Frank, and Leo-seemed to be securing it pretty well besides the panic in the situation. Hazel had made it safely to the rope ladder that led up to the Argo II and he had been following suit, cursing Nico's frail body in his mind. The limit to a human was astounding, especially with the injuries Nico had gone through. His ankle was in no condition to be through the stress it was being put through, and the pain radiated in Anubis' mind as the chilling thoughts came. The Fates might be mad at him, but he would never have thought that Nico's injury would mirror Annabeth's so vividly. No one else seemed to notice, but Anubis was sure it wasn't a coincidence. Even though it should have been the last thing on his mind, it stuck out from the others.

He tried communicating to Nico multiple times but finally gave up, deciding that Nico's brain needed some serious rest if it was going to recover from Tartarus with all of its sanity. Nico had willingly stepped back and gave Anubis the reigns to his body, no fight left in him as all he wanted was to stop worrying for a minute.

The least Anubis could do was let him, and he was, in turn, stronger than Nico (especially at the frail state his mind was in), so took full control and decided to help wherever he could. He knew if it had been Nico, his first thoughts would be to save Hazel. So he kept up his pace to the Argo II, wanting to stick by Hazel the entire time. If he let Hazel get hurt, Nico would never forgive him. He would never admit it to the young demigod, but he thought maybe they could be friends. He wasn't used to the modern world or what friends really were these days but he could use someone to ease the loneliness he tended to feel. Sadie was one of these people, but he couldn't be with her often (unless she spent her days talking to him in a graveyard over a random tomb). He would never do that to her, so their interactions were limited.

Hazel's scream of distress broke him out of his thoughts and his limping manner, stopping him right in his tracks as he looked up to see the cause. She was looking behind him towards where Percy and Annabeth had been, next to the large chasm that Anubis knew to lead to that godforsaken place. If he ever had the chance, he'd make it his duty to make sure no one innocent fell to its prey.

When he saw Percy hanging off the edge and Annabeth below him, his whole body filled with dread. Would he really let Nico's friends, his _cousins_ , meet the same fate that Nico had barely escaped? Could he let another innocent be scarred by what was supposed to remain unseen down in that pit?

It took him a millisecond to make up his mind. In one fluid motion, he pulled his staff from his Duat locker (Sadie had happily made it when Anubis asked nicely). He held it out and spoke the Ancient Egyptian words, watching as the hieroglyphics for "levitate" appeared around him. He could hear Percy's shout of surprise and that Hazel's voice had died in her throat, but was too busy concentrating to be distracted. It wasn't a task that could be fixed with simply levitation, not with Annabeth's ankle being drug down by whatever that spider goddess and decided to weave.

"Percy, hold still and don't move," he instructed, closing his eyes for a minute. He had the power but didn't want to channel too much through Nico's body. Him exploding wouldn't be the best fix to the situation. "I have it under control, just stay still for me."

He knew Percy was cautious, as he was smarter than most people gave him credit for. But Percy trusted Nico (or what he thought to be Nico) and allowed his body to relax. This allowed Anubis to think again and break the levitation charm for a minute, using more power to snip whatever held onto Annabeth's ankle.

As it broke, he could feel a piece of what was supposed to be slip away. Going against the Fates may have been fun for someone else, but he didn't want to be noticed by the Greek gods. Not after the lie he had pulled to get to the position he was in in the first place.

As soon as Annabeth was free he brought them up. He watched as Percy's dazed expression melted away, picking up Annabeth as soon as his feet hit the uneven ground. Exhausted but now hopeful, he ran in the direction of the Argo II. Anubis followed his lead and climbed the rope ladder, storing the staff once again in his Duat locker. He silently hoped that nobody had seen the obvious Egyptian magic, but knew that that was too good to be true. He was working with some of the smartest demigods of his age, even while they were fuzzy from pain and exhaustion. He'd have a lot of explaining to do but now wasn't the time, so he climbed on board and watched as Percy did the same with Annabeth. Only once they were in the air did he let himself breath a sigh of relief, and relaxed when he felt Nico's consciousness stirring. He could feel the boy pry through Anubis' memories, making Anubis finally believe that Nico wanted control back. Finally.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9-

 _How are you feeling?_ Anubis asked, having a conversation with his host for the first time since Tartarus. _I let you take a break and tried my best. But I couldn't stop them from seeing the Egyptian magic, I'm sorry._

Nico took a couple minutes to look through the memories again before thinking back to Anubis. _It's okay, I would have done the same thing._

 _Still, they'll_ definitely _know now about us. About the power you hold._ Anubis continued. _I know you didn't want that. I'm sorry._

Before Nico had fallen into Tartarus, he would have used every breath to yell at Anubis for everything he had done, and then more. But now his anger was gone, leaving him an empty husk of what he used to be. _I said it's okay._

 _You can yell at me, you know._ Anubis pried, trying to get the old Nico back.

Nico ignored him and opened his eyes, once again in control of his body. He was lying in a cot in the small infirmary, alone in the white room. He could hear voices not too far away.

 _Do you think I can sit up?_ Nico asked, only now a fan of speaking to him silently. _I'm starving._

 _You can try,_ Anubis replied. _I'll try and lend you some of my strength._

Nico took a minute before sitting up, feeling like his body would give up but it never did. Instead, Anubis' power crept through him enough to keep him awake and alert. In another minute, Nico got off the bed successfully. He was exhausted, more than he had ever been before in his life, but he needed to get up. Food was the only thing he could think about.

 _You do need to eat._ Anubis read his thoughts quickly. _It has been awhile._

 _I know,_ Nico sat back on the bed, sweat dripping from his forehead. _Can you open the Duat and get that staff?_ Since _they know about it, I can use it to help me walk._

Anubis immediately answered his request, the staff soon in Nico's pale hands. _Be careful, don't push yourself._

Nico ignored him and got up, leaning against the staff as he looked around. He hadn't had the chance to look at the ship before and was impressed with what Leo had done. As he exited the infirmary and headed to where he heard the seven demigods talking, he looked around the rest of the ship. It was large and nicely built, perfect for the mission they were on.

As he got outside the room they were in he leaned against the wall, his forehead sleek with sweat and his eyes glossy. _Anubis, it hurts._

 _If you go in you can sit down._ Anubis reminded him. _Sit down and rest._

Nico nodded before heading into the room, sweeping his eyes over the inhabitants. They sat around the table and ate, discussing what to do next under their breaths. They didn't know where the Doors of Death were, but Nico did.

Hazel was the first to notice him lingering in the doorway. Quickly, she ran to him and lead him to a chair. "You're supposed to be resting."

Nico sat in the chair gratefully and rested his head on the table, catching his breath as he noticed the others go silent. He could feel their stares, their silent questions. He didn't like it one bit.

"Are you hungry?" Hazel asked, fretting over her older brother. "I can get you something to eat. What would you like?"

"Anything is fine." he managed.

Hazel visibly relaxed when she heard his actual voice, a small smile appearing on her face. "Okay, coming right up."

She glanced at the staff in his lap before heading off, her curly hair bouncing as she walked. Nico watched her for a minute before finally turning his attention to the others, swallowing thickly when he saw their faces. "You look mad at me."

"What have you been keeping from us?" Annabeth asked. "Don't lie."

"It's a long story." Nico's voice grew smaller.

"A story I think we all want to know." Jasons spoke up. He was studying Nico uncertainly, his gaze full of weariness.

 _He doesn't trust me._ Nico grumbled to Anubis, his heart sinking. He looked around at the others, seeing that look mirrored on Leo and Piper's faces. _They think I'm a traitor._

 _If you explain everything, they won't._ Anubis promised. _Just don't go saying any gods' names. You don't want to bring their attention here._

Nico nodded slightly to himself before looking to Percy, his voice breaking as he spoke. "Do you still trust me?"

"Of course I do," Percy spoke quickly, not having to think about it. "Whatever that weird voodoo thing you did was, you did it to save me and Annabeth. That doesn't sound very evil to me."

"It wasn't voodoo." Annabeth corrected. "I couldn't see much but I know that much."

"It was Egyptian," Jason spoke up. "I remember running into a few of their kind. They didn't seem that dangerous, but we're not supposed to mix. We shouldn't be able to."

"Hold up." Leo held his hands up. "You're telling me there are Greek, Roman, _and_ Egyptian gods? And you just think that's normal?"

"Honestly, I'm not very surprised," Percy admitted before turning to Nico. "Are you alright, before we get into everything? You look..."

"He needs rest." Hazel intercepted, frowning. "But I know him and he'll refuse to do so."

"I'm fine." Nico couldn't keep his voice above a whisper, even if he had the will to do so. "Hungry."

"Eat." Hazel set the plate down in front of him before sitting by him. "You can't have any more ambrosia or nectar, but real food should be good for you."

 _She's right,_ Anubis agreed.

Nico ate slowly, feeling like every muscle had turned to lead. Being in that jar took more out of him than he wanted to admit, maybe even more than Tartarus.

"So, we're saying you did some weird Egyptian magic." Percy summed up. "That's not...bad..."

"He shouldn't be able to, is the point." Annabeth didn't look away from Nico once. "He's descended from Rome and Greece, yes. Maybe that's why he was the so-called 'ambassador of Pluto'. That much makes sense. But he has no Egyptian blood."

"So, what? Is there any other way he could have learned it?" Piper spoke up for the first time. "I really don't know anything on this subject, but is there another way?"

"Yes," Nico cut in. "Did you all forget I was here or something?" He took a deep breath, rubbing his eyes. "I do have Egyptian blood, I'll have you know. From my mother."

Jason nodded, as in acceptance. "So you're an Egyptian magician. Nothing strange about that."

 _Was that sarcastic?_ Anubis asked.

"Why'd you hide it from us?" Annabeth asked. "How long has this been going on?"

"Not long." Nico swept his hair from his eyes, really needing a haircut. "I found out while Percy was missing."

"So it's not like he's had time to tell me." Percy defended. He then looked at Nico and smiled. "I think it's cool. You have more powers to help us with."

"You still could have told someone." Annabeth continued. "Hazel or me. Or anyone. Does Ha-, your father know?"

Nico nodded. "The god who we probably shouldn't get the attention of? Yeah, he knows. He knew my mother well."

 _Are you going to tell them about me?_ Anubis asked.

 _Not if I don't have to._

"So it shouldn't start some kind of war. Good." Percy looked at Annabeth. "See? It's all alright, Wise Girl."

"As I said before, I've met Egyptian magicians." Jason broke it. "It took them years to even learn how to do one spell. Nico couldn't have learned all of that that quickly."

"Are you calling me a liar?" Nico groundout.

"I'm asking if you're holding something back." Jason wasn't fazed.

"Shouldn't I be explaining about the Doors of Death?" Nico reasoned. "I think that's more important at the moment."

"I need to know the team and everything they can do." Annabeth shook her head. "So, no, it's not important right now. You need to explain _everything_ , Nico."

"You sure?" Nico tried again. "I learned a lot about how they work-"

"Nico, please?" his sister spoke up. "I just want to know the truth."

Nico looked into her eyes, fear taking hold of him again. How would they react to something that big? Yes, they took the magician thing okay, but hosting a god? That was worthy of a traitor.

 _It'll be okay, Nico._ Anubis had most of his consciousness with Nico, now. _You just need to tell them before they get too suspicious. Start from the beginning._

Nico took a second before putting his head in his hands. "Alright, here it goes. Please try not to hate me."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10-

Nico sat on top of the helm, cold wind blowing in his face. It was the only thing that kept him linked to reality, that bitter cold. Anubis had withdrawn again once he found out the outcome of the situation, no doubt to help the Kanes in the aftermath of their battle. Nico felt slightly bad about not helping, especially after the deal he made with Anubis, but he wouldn't be able to do much even if he wanted to. Anubis didn't seem mad, but quite the contrary. He was too nice for Nico for Nico not to grow suspicious.

Every time Nico closed his eyes, Tartarus loomed in his mind. His stubborn mind told him that he didn't need sleep, but his aching limbs and his tired eyes told him otherwise. He didn't have a bed and didn't stay around the others long enough to be offered one. As soon as the conversation was over, he told them the location of the House of Hades and climbed up to the mast where he now sat.

Their reactions were...different, to say the least. He remembered watching Percy the whole time, the sea god's spawn the one he most cared about? Why? Why couldn't he be more focused on his sister, for example? Gods, how he hated himself sometimes.

 _"So, you're saying, a god can possess you at will?" Percy had asked, his eyes filling with worry. "That sounds risky."_

 _"It shouldn't be possible." Annabeth continued muttering to herself, her eyes fixed on the table. "Greek and Egyptian_ bloods _don't mix. If his mother was of Egyptian blood, he shouldn't have been able to_ been _born. No, she..." She continued on, but Nico didn't pay her any attention. Trying to figure anything else out in this mess of a world would be harder than just living with it._

 _"But it happened." Jason cut in, even though he looked as confused as Annabeth. "We can't say it's impossible if the proof is sitting right in front of us."_

 _"I'm a person, not a_ proof. _" Nico muttered._

 _"So, is this death god listening right now?" Leo asked, his smirk aloof. "Cause I'm sure we could have a nice conversation about the many ways to burst Gaea's followers into-"_

 _"He doesn't know much of Greek affairs." Nico cut him off, giving him a small glare. "And yes, he can hear everything as if he was the one sitting in front of you, not me."_

 _The others seemed uncomfortable at that, giving each other looks as they tried to figure out what to do. The only one that didn't turn away was Percy, his eyes on Nico's. "So, can I talk to him?"_

 _"Excuse me?" Nico asked._

 _"Talk to him. He can talk through you, don't try hiding it. That's why your voice came out different sometimes. At Camp Jupiter and when we first got you back from...from that place. Your accent was different and you talked_ different _. More formally and calmly."_

 _Nico took a minute to process his words before letting out a low whistle. "Annabeth, you've really rubbed off on him."_

 _Percy let out a small laugh before crossing his arms. "So? I want to talk to him. Switch with him or something."_

 _"Percy you don't know-" Annabeth stopped talking when she saw Nico's facial expressions change. "Oh, never mind."_

 _"Percy," Anubis greeted, causing those who hadn't heard the accent change yet to stop what they were doing and stare._

 _Percy looked him right in the eyes, looking different than when he looked at Nico normally. He regarded the two boys entirely different, even though they shared the same body. "I'm giving you one warning. You possess him without his will, you hurt him, you use him for your own gain_... _This is a warning."_

 _"I have no intention of hurting your_ cousin. _" Anubis replied softly. He glanced around at the others even though this conversation stayed between him and Percy. "We both walked into this willingly, knowing very well what the consequences might be."_

 _"Yet you have power over_ him. _" Percy stated. "You haven't used it yet, but you do. I never thought I'd say this, but Nico might be too trusting in this case."_

 _"He-"_

 _"He might know you better, yes, but I'm still just giving you a warning. Okay?" Percy turned his attention back to the blue pizza slice on his plate. "Okay, he can have control back now."_

 _Annabeth hit his shoulder lightly but was smiling at him. She mumbled something about him being protective, but Nico didn't hear any of it. Instead, he tried questioning the god about why he wasn't mad at Nico for helping the Kanes. He got no complete answers._

"Nico?" Hazel stuck her head up, still on the ladder. "Won't you come down? You haven't eaten or slept."

Nico stopped himself from snapping at her, knowing that she was only doing it because she cared about him. And who could blame her? He probably looked ten times worse than he usually did, which had already been bad enough. Looking like a walking corpse hadn't been just a teasing remark.

"I can't sleep." he admitted before patting the spot next to him. "Why don't you sit?"

She nodded before sitting beside him, not able to keep the smile off her face. "How are you doing? I mean...how's the pain?"

Nico shrugged, his eyes towards the sky. "Everything's different, including the pain. Down there,..." He stopped talking, glancing towards her. She didn't seem like she was going to judge what happened or be scared of his dark state, so he continued. "Everything down there was already so hopeless, the pain felt ten times worse. Knowing you'll survive helps pain, you know? It gives you motivation. But when you know you're going to die anyways, you pray for the death to come sooner so the pain will end. I-I...I thought I was going to die. So I prayed for that death."

Hazel rested her head on her brother's shoulder, her eyes watering but her not letting any tears to fall. "But you made it. You made it back to me."

"By luck." Nico admitted. "But that's why the pain feels better. Because now I know there's a point of going through it."

Hazel nodded, crossing her arms. Goosebumps lined her arms and her hairs stuck up, but she made no move to abandon the post besides Nico. "I think you're really brave, you know. And so does Percy and Annabeth."

Nico took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, not caring that he hadn't parted with the thing since he could remember. It had even survived Tartarus with him. "They probably just said that. But having to make a deal with an Egyptian god...it's cowardly. It's being too cowardly to rely on your own powers and strengths."

"No," Hazel hung onto the jacket tightly. "It's knowing what to do, no matter the consequences, to save your friends. We can all honor that. You may have been sacrificing yourself, but you did it for good. That's brave."

Nico felt a small smile grace his lips before it disappeared in a second, but it had been there. "Hazel?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you,"


	11. Chapter 11

Leading up to when they got to the House of Hades was full of different sidetracks that always left Nico wondering if something was wrong. It was easy, almost too easy, with his power mixed with Anubis'. Some days he felt like he could take on Gaea herself and win in a matter of minutes. There was probably a reason gods weren't supposed to take demigods as their hosts.

The reason it wasn't supposed to be possible? Because one human body wasn't supposed to be able to hold that much power. Nico didn't know how he was an exception, if he was one. Or was it going to slowly burn him up?

The worst thing about it was when Nico tried to look into Anubis' thoughts about the whole ordeal. They were either being hidden from him or had been erased, but Nico knew it had to be the former. But _why_ they were being hidden from him was the biggest question. What was too important to tell his own host?

It made Nico start to not trust Anubis, and that didn't settle well with their powers.

Croatia was when his mood went even more downhill. Suddenly, Tartarus didn't seem that far away anymore. They stood in that vacant city, Nico feeling like he'd throw up at any moment. He wasn't close to Jason, not in the least, and saying something so personal in front of him wasn't something he was looking forward to.

 _Nico, you need to calm down,_ Anubis spoke to him, sounding more awkward than Nico had ever heard him. _It isn't even that big of a deal. I'm sure-_

 _As if!_ Nico thought back, physically having to stop himself from speaking along with his thoughts. _Jason follows the law and do you know what the law is?_ Racist _, selfish, biased, prejudiced, misogynist, homophobic, transphobic,..._ He continued on with as much as he could think of, his brain running rampant with all the hate he had seen in the world. It was only Anubis that reminded him that there was actually some good.

 _Same-sex marriage is legalized, you idiot._ Anubis mentally sighed. _Jason isn't going to judge you. He's the type of guy that works with you no matter what, you know? You're on the same team and he won't see you any differently._

 _But the law-_

 _Isn't homophobic anymore. Yes,_ there are _some serious faults, but you can't use that for an argument against Jason right now._ Anubis corrected. _Need I go on or are you going to stand here all day?_

Nico snapped out of it and looked down at his feet, the grass around him withered and dead. The one that brought them there, Favonius, went on to tell his epic love story that ended with heartbreak and death like usual. He and Apollo had been fighting about a man he ended up killing. Jason seemed slightly lost but not homophobic, which gave Nico slight hope that Anubis encouraged.

It took Jason stopping an arrow from going through his chest for Nico to think back in reality. His heart raced but he let his voice come out, thankful he didn't squeak. "We just want the scepter! We're trying to stop Gaea. Are you on the gods' side or not?"

Another arrow came at him and embedded itself in the ground at his feet. Maybe that wasn't the right thing to say.

Jason was busy talking about how they could wield the scepter when the third arrow came, this time hitting Nico in the arm. There was pain, that was for sure, but not physical. His whole body screamed with the ache of keeping his secret for so long. While he was fighting back the urge to shadow travel away and give up, he didn't bother stopping Anubis from taking control. Wouldn't that be easier?

"Enough games!" Anubis shouted, holding where the arrow had hit him (them?). "Show yourself!"

Cupid, instead of showing himself, told them the story of his wife and all she had to go through. Even though he was the god of love, he didn't seem like he loved her very much.

Nico watched Jason get smacked around before taking control back, his voice actually cracking this time. "Stop it! It's me you want. Leave him alone!" Even though he wasn't close to Jason, even though he would have rather came here by himself, he couldn't watch Jason suffer for Nico's fear. It wasn't right, and he wouldn't let it go on.

He felt anger fill him━at himself and Cupid and the whole situation. Maybe Anubis was helping the anger, maybe it was more energy being pumped into him. Whether the case, he finally got the courage to do something.

* * *

Jason watched Nico in confusion, trying to think of why Cupid wanted him so bad. A crush on a girl? Didn't everybody have that? Nico was no exception to teenage love, so why was Cupid being so hard on him?

He still wasn't sure what he thought of Nico di Angelo, but he knew the poor kid didn't deserve to be bullied by the love god. He had been through Tartarus, lived in the Underworld, and had an Egyptian god stuck in his head. Yes, he was physically powerful, but that didn't equal mentally.

Jason had noticed when Anubis took over, not only his accent changing. The way he held himself was different. He had more dignity, more respect for himself like any other god would. Nico, on the other hand, was nothing like that. He slouched and tried to keep himself hidden from all those around him. He didn't see himself as a hero or a villain. To him, he was simply...there.

Nico's face filled with anger before Anubis spoke again, probably trying to calm the son of Hades before he ended up killing someone. No doubt he could, with the power he had. "Give up Diocletian's scepter. We don't have time for games."

Jason got his sword back and watched wearily. "Nico, what does this guy want from you?" Sure, Anubis had been in control, but he addressed Nico for a reason. Nico was the real person there, not some Egyptian god that needed a host. It was Nico's emotions that were being messed with.

That's when Nico's anger was let loose. Jason had a split second to see that it was once again the son of Hades in control before he screamed, the ground opening at his feet and skeletons coming out. At any other time, Jason would have been scared, but he had to remind himself that the skeletons were on his side. The guy that controlled them was on his side...hopefully.

Cupid didn't seem to be scared, however, and taunted Nico once again. The skeletons finally dragged him down, however, as he started to fight back.

As soon as Nico spoke, Jason knew it was a lie. "I left camp because of love. Annabeth, she-"

Cupid cut him off again, but Jason had started to put it together. He spoke up even though those skeletons could have turned on him in an instant. "Nico, it's okay. I get it."

When Nico looked over at him, he couldn't help but shrink back from all the emotions that washed over that pale face. A face that didn't even seem to be human anymore. The godly power poured out of him in waves, but not just Anubis' power. Nico's own power rolled off him and engulfed the area around him, killing the grass and rotting away any plants in reach. For the first time, Jason was scared of Nico di Angelo. If that boy's powers kept maturing...

Nico's face was full of pain and misery, his young eyes burdened by too many troubles. He looked old, older than he should have, and a certain spark was in his eyes. Jason had seen that spark before, on a demigod that had been driven insane while scouting the Labrinth. The young man had never been the same after that, and Jason knew the same would be for Nico.

When Nico finally admitted it, when those choked words finally made their way out of his mouth, Jason was glad he heard Nico's voice and not Anubis'. This was something only Nico could face, even if it had to be done. If Anubis had made Nico's body utter those words, Jason would have gone over there and strangled him himself.

"I had a crush on Percy. That's the truth, that's the big secret. Happy now?" There was no Egyptian in his voice, nothing but Nico's original accent. Even with all his power and all of it that rolled off him, Nico looked as small as a child.

But Jason couldn't help but still be afraid of the boy.


	12. Chapter 12

Nico started to notice something was off with Anubis when the slightest thought about going to the Underworld had crossed his mind. He thought that if he was in and out, he could grab some clothes from his room in Hades' palace without getting too bad of memories from Tartarus. It seemed seizable enough, but Anubis had a different idea.

 _Why would you even think about going down there?_ Anubis asked, his voice low and demanding, almost a growl. _That's an idiotic move._

Why do you care? Nico shot back. _I_ _t's not like dad is going to hurt me. I'll be in and out in two seconds._

 _You don't have enough power to shadow travel._ Anubis argued again. _You're still weak._

 _Liar. I shadow traveled and I was fine. And if I really need it, you'll just lend me your strength._ Nico suggested. _They can spare me for five minutes. Annabeth is running things perfectly and Percy is powerful. They'll be fine._

Anubis was silent for a minute, but Nico could feel the tension from the death god. He almost seemed...scared. But of what? Some silly trip to Hades?

 _I can only urge you not to go._ Anubis finally stated. _It would be in everyone's best interest if you stayed with the seven. You don't need a change of clothes._

 _Mine are full of blood!_ Nico mentally screamed. _Do you know how stiff they are? If I have to actually fight it'll be hard. Not to mention they're so ripped up my skin is showing._

 _Oh, no, someone can see your skin._ Anubis' voice was laced with sarcasm. _It's the end of the world._

 _That's it, I'm done._ Nico rolled his eyes and looked around for the nearest shadow. _I'm getting this over with so you'll finally shut up._

 _Nico!_ Anubis' sudden yell made him jump in surprise. _You're not going there! End of discussion. If you care enough about this world and not starting another war, you won't go there._

Nico was silent for a minute before responding. _Anubis...what are you talking about?_

 _Just know my words are true._ Anubis responded. He then went silent, leaving Nico to wonder exactly what that all meant. Suddenly, things weren't so easy.

Nico didn't know who to go to, or even if he had anyone to go to at all. If Anubis was hiding something that could cause another war, he wasn't sure if he could trust anybody else with the information. But he had to tell somebody, not able to hold anything like that in. He wasn't mentally stable anymore. Not after Tartarus.

Hazel would freak out, so he didn't tell her. He didn't want to put any more on his little sister's shoulders. Percy? Well,...he wasn't great with the son of Poseidon at the moment. There was a reason he avoided him at all costs. Jason was also on his list of people to avoid. The last person he could think of was Annabeth, which ended up seeming as the obvious choice.

Nico found her below decks at the table, talking to Percy under her breath. Her hair was a mess, the blond curls falling out of a half-hearted attempt at a ponytail, and she looked exhausted. Even though she hadn't fallen into Tartarus, she still held those _what if_ thoughts. They were at least enough to lose sleep over.

"Annabeth?" Nico's voice hadn't been getting any better. If anything, sitting through the harsh winds on the mast seemed to make it worse. "Can I talk to you? Privately."

Percy looked ready to say something but Annabeth quickly spoke up. "Of course, Nico. Come sit. Percy can go help Leo man the ship."

 _Don't you tell her,_ Anubis warned. _Don't you dare,_ Nico.

Nico ignored Anubis' voice and sat next to Annabeth, watching Percy leave the room. He stopped the blush that almost came to his cheeks, not noticing that it came easier to stop than ever before.

"Are you okay?" Annabeth broke the silence, eyeing the son of Hades closely.

Nico shrugged. "I mean, yeah. But...something's wrong."

Her gray eyes narrowed. "How so?"

 _Nico di Angelo. I will take over your voice if I have to. Stop it._

"It's something to do with Anubis." Nico blurted out. "He's hiding something from me. Something about-"

He tried to fight it, more than he had ever before, but he was simply no match for the god that currently possessed him. Anubis finished the sentence in his own manner and his own accent, with his own thoughts. "Nothing, nothing is wrong. I'm just...having nightmares."

Annabeth's posture stiffened, one hand moving to the dagger at her thigh. "Anubis. Let Nico finish speaking."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Anubis replied easily.

"He thinks something is wrong with you." she pursed her lips. "You have one last chance to let him speak."

"Or what will you do?" Anubis snarled. "Kill me? You'll be killing Nico and your most powerful ally."

"Let him speak or I'll look more into the Egyptian ways." Annabeth threatened, not dismayed by Anubis' words. "A war can start if you happen to threaten one of our own."

"I'm doing what I can to prevent a war with what Nico was about to tell you." Anubis shot back.

"I'm not going to go blurting it out if I can help it!" Annabeth argued. "Now, let him speak."

Anubis sat for a minute, glaring at Annabeth, before reluctantly stepping back from the control of Nico's body. However, he kept his conscious almost fully there to watch over what the two demigods said.

"Annabeth," Nico's words shook with his hands. "Th...thank you... I can't think of anyone else that would stand up to an Egyptian deity like that."

She gave him a small smile, her eyes light with relief. "Yeah, well, he was threatening my friend. So, tell me what you were going to say?"

"You heard what he said. It can cause a war." Nico took a deep breath. "But I have to let someone know."

"I'm all ears."

"Well," Nico picked at the dry dirt beneath his fingernails. "I was going to go to the Underworld to pick up a few things. Real quick, in and out. But...Anubis doesn't want me to. I have a feeling that H-...my father doesn't know."

Annabeth's expression turned stormy. "Your father doesn't know about Anubis taking you as a host?"

When Anubis didn't correct him, Nico shook his head. "Not at all. Seems Anubis lied to me."

"Nico, this isn't good." she swept her eyes across the room. "Just, don't go down there. Stay quiet for now. We'll think of something after this war is over. We don't need another with the Egyptians right now."

"They just went through their own," Nico replied. "I was supposed to help Carter and Sadie...but you know what happened to me. I feel horrible. Carter's a good guy."

"I'm sure you can help them pick the pieces up." Annabeth gave him a small smile. "Let's focus on one thing at a time. We'll stop Gaea and you'll try to figure out why he lied to you. Keep me updated."

Nico stared at her for a minute before nodding. "Is it really that easy?"

"Probably not, but when is it ever?" Annabeth laughed softly. "Now, we've got some work to do. One evil goddess to defeat."


	13. Chapter 13

Every day that went by marked more and more of Nico slipping away. He could feel it all the time, the different powers mixing inside him to create something new. Egyptian, Roman, Greek, Italian... He wasn't sure he liked what they were making.

His powers never stopped getting stronger.

He wasn't sure if Reyna knew the complete truth, but on their way back to Camp Half-Blood she made it known that she knew something was up. He could travel efficiently, getting there in half the time it would have taken before. He melted in shadow multiple times, but he came back stronger.

Stronger, more power, stronger and stronger and stronger...

He felt like he was going to explode.

Most of the time, Anubis kept a barrier between their thoughts. But time and time again, some of Anubis's emotions would leak on through. Most of the time, it was fear.

But of what, Nico wasn't sure.

Was Anubis scared of him?

The battle against the Romans went by quickly once they got to Camp Half-Blood. Shadows used here, skeleton warriors used there. He never noticed that he wasn't losing energy, but Anubis did.

When it was time to take Octavian out, Will Solace stopped him from shadow traveling. Anubis could feel more of what the Fates wanted slipping away, but there wasn't anything he could do now. Instead of Will stopping him in fear that Nico wouldn't become solid again, he stopped him because he was terrified of his powers, terrified of what he would do to Octavian.

The fear wasn't irrational, not in the least. The first time Will saw Nico that day, Nico's right arm wasn't solid, mostly black in shadow. His left arm looked more like a skeleton than human. His skin, tight around his cheekbones, was paler than a corpse. Nico di Angelo wasn't the same boy he had seen at the Battle of Manhatten.

The first thing in Will's brain when he saw him was that a monster had suddenly appeared in front of him. Before he shot his arrow, however, Will had looked him over and found that he oddly recognized the face of that monster, and it wasn't a monster at all.

By demigod definition.

Anubis didn't talk to Nico, and Nico didn't talk to him, but he could feel the anxiety from the Egyptian god. And after seeing Will's reaction...well, Nico had some of his own anxiety. He hated that look, especially from the blond son of Apollo.

He wasn't a monster, he wasn't a monster, he wasn't a monster...

As the sky exploded in a sea of flames with Leo Valdez in it, all Nico could do was whisper those words to himself.

"I'm not a monster, I'm not a monster, I'm _not_ a monster."

All the looks he got told him differently.

That night, his arms returned to normal but his heart didn't. As he packed a bookbag of clothes and toiletries, Will Solace knocked on his door for the tenth time. Weren't you supposed to leave monsters alone?

"I'm coming in!" Will announced after five consecutive minutes of knocking. He swung open the cabin door and strolled into the dark room, a medical bag slung over his shoulder. "Hey, Nico, how are you feeling?"

"Excuse me?" Nico's surprise took his filter away. He looked up from his bag and eyed Will closely, glaring the young medic down.

"I'm asking if you got hurt." Will didn't falter under his gaze. "So, did you? I noticed you were...um..."

"Not solid? Yeah, that happens." Nico admitted. "And no, I'm not hurt. Does it look like I came to the Infirmary? No, I don't think so. So you can leave now."

 _Let him help._ Anubis didn't speak often anymore. _You need to heal before traveling._

"I noticed you were wincing, back on the hill." Will explained. "So I brought supplies so I can help. Are...are you packing? Where are you going?"

"I need to go meet up with some friends." Nico zipped the bag up before throwing it aside. "I need to make sure they got through everything okay."

"Other friends? Why aren't they at either of the camps?" Will pried, stepping further into the cabin. "They could get hurt out there."

"They're loners, like me." Nico lied easily. "They've got it under control, I promise."

Will's words shocked Nico more than anything he had heard before. "Okay, I trust you. Now, will you show me where you're hurt?"

"Um...um...my arms..." Nico stuttered, his brain frozen. "Werewolf...claws...my shoulders..."

Will ran to his side and pulled the small shirt over Nico's head. "A werewolf?! Gods, Nico, why didn't you tell me before? These things are impossible to close!"

"Then why are you trying?" Nico asked, the sudden cold air on his torso bringing him back to reality. "You better not ruin my skin."

"Ruin your ruined skin?" Will laughed. "I'll try not to."

"Oh, shut up." Nico turned his head to watch Will's hands. "What are you doing?"

"Cleaning it out." Will took a syringe with water and sprayed it over the wounds. "You don't want any infections that'll take your arms off."

"Only you worry about that," Nico muttered, turning his head away. He could feel the tips of his hair scratch at his shoulders, reminding him that he needed a haircut.

"I'll check them again in the morning." Will explained. "I'll get them cleaned and wrapped up tonight. Can you wait to leave until after I stitch you up tomorrow?"

"I guess that's fine. Just come early." Nico agreed. "I want to get out of here as quickly as possible."

"You are coming back though...right?" Will asked. "I mean, I need to take the stitches out."

"I will when they need out." Nico sighed heavily. "Ugh, that's gonna get in my way."

Will smiled. "Then it's a pleasure to get in your way."


	14. Chapter 14

True to his word, Nico left the next morning and shadow traveled to where he had met Carter and Sadie for the first time. It wasn't their fault Anubis had lied to him, so he couldn't really hate them. If anything, Anubis had probably lied to them, too.

That made Nico's dislike for him grow even more.

He shadow traveled into the mansion instead of breaking down the door. He expected to see the remnants of a battle and sorrowful faces, but there were kids of all ages lounged around and plates of breakfast in their laps. Everything was clean and nothing was broken as if there had never been a battle at all.

"Carter?" Nico called, looking around the area he was in. He caught the attention of a seven-year-old boy, who jumped from his seat and ran to Nico. "Who are you?! You look like that one god of death from Mythomagic. Are you related? He's Greek and we're Egyptian but still..."

"Felix, calm down. He just got here." Nico had never been so happy to see Carter before. The dark skinned boy came over quickly, no doubt to save him from Felix. "Nico, it's good to see you."

"You, too, Carter." Nico reached out to shake his hand. "Did the battle go well? I-I...I would have been here if I could, I promise."

"I know. Why don't we go talk privately? Because I'm sure your...side of things will come up."

Nico nodded, no doubt that Carter wanted to keep the Greek gods from the others there. He followed him out of the room and into the bedroom that was saved for Nico, which remained unused.

"I don't want you all to think I abandoned you." Nico blurted out. "I didn't mean to. Anubis-"

"He told us you were dying. But you look okay." Carter's eyes swept Nico over. "I mean, you aren't dead."

Nico looked at him in confusion. "Anubis told you? You mean...he actually did something right for once? Hm. But this isn't really about that. I don't know how much I should tell you, but I know I need to warn you. Don't trust the gods fully, ever. And if you ever need me, go to a graveyard and ask for Anubis. He'll get the message to me."

And with that, Nico shadow traveled away, not waiting to see Carter's reaction to his warning. He didn't want to deal with the Egyptians or with their gods. He just...didn't want to deal with anyone.


	15. Chapter 15

Nico went back to camp when it was time to take his stitches out, not a moment earlier. Maybe, MAYBE Will was likable, but the others kept him away. And that fact, that small fact that Anubis was turning him into the thing he most feared he'd become.

A monster.

Even if Will liked him, even as just a friend, Nico didn't know how long that would last. He had seen Will's reaction to his powers. He had seen the fear. A good relationship couldn't be based on that, nor would Nico ever want one based on that. It was sickening.

The only hope Nico did have, however, was that Will had come to his cabin that day, even after seeing his powers. He hadn't seemed scared anymore or uncomfortable. The only thing he cared about was making sure Nico was okay. But was that just the medic inside him?

Nico dissolved into his cabin from pure shadow, not expecting anyone to be there as he didn't hide any of his powers. While forming back, his bones were first. A living skeleton stood for a minute before he was back to his real form. Or, his human form. He wasn't sure what was his _real_ form anymore. He didn't expect to hear a gasp come from beside him, and he really didn't expect to hear a child shout "awesome!"

"Who the Hades-?" Nico turned to see Will sitting on one of the beds, his blond hair lighting up the dark room around him. Beside him, a small kid was sitting that could be no older than six. With brown hair and blue eyes, he didn't look like any of the dangerous gods' kid.

"Will, what are you doing in here?" Nico asked after a moment of silence. "And who's the kid? New camper?"

Will nodded before patting the medical bag beside him. "Time to take your stitches out. I assumed you didn't want to go to the infirmary, so I came here. That's okay, right?"

Nico gave a short nod, setting his duffel bag down. "Why bring the kid?"

Will took a second before speaking, his blue eyes turning sad. "Can I talk to you later about that?"

 _Not in front of the kid, I'm guessing._ Anubis' not so appreciated voice filled Nico's throbbing head. _I would listen. That kid looks like he's been through a lot._

Nico frowned in confusion, his curiosity riding over his anger at Anubis. _What do you mean by that? He looks fine to me._

 _He's sitting when any other kid would be bouncing off the walls._ Anubis explained. _His feet aren't tapping, his hands aren't wiggling. If he's an ADHD child, then he's really learned to tame it, which I doubt is the reason._

 _He looks too poor to have had medicine for it._ Nico caught on. _So he's either entirely exhausted or maybe he's not a demigod at all. But he did see through the Mist._

 _Some mortals can._ Anubis agreed.

"Nico?" Will went over to him and shook his shoulder. "You okay there? You zoned out a little."

"I get that a lot," Nico muttered, stalking to the bed. "Let's get this over with. Kid, what's your name?"

"Will said it's Almaji." the boy in question moved closer to Nico. "A group of people decided it at breakfast. Have you ever been to it? There's so much food and you sit with all these people and laugh and laugh and laugh."

 _Definitely poor,_ Nico noted to Anubis before directing his words to Will. "You named him? Did you want to feel like a god or something?"

Will's cheeks turned red as he dropped the alcohol wipes to the floor. "I-I, I did not. The Hermes cabin did it. I simply had to keep reminding him of how to pronounce it. I think they made it up, honestly. Almaji. Sounds like that one movie coming out, doesn't it?"

Almaji nodded in agreement. "Yep,"

"You lost me at the Hermes cabin," Nico admitted, trying not to overthink his words. Everything was coming so...so easy. If Nico didn't know any better, he'd say it sounded like he was used to speaking to others as...as friends.

 _Will_ does _seem to be happy in your company._ Anubis added.

Nico scowled. _Get outta my head._

"I found him on the streets in the city when I went to get more supplies with Travis and Conner. We didn't have money so I told them what I needed and they...got it for me. No biggie." Will explained, picking up everything that he had dropped. "Almaji remembers everything but he just was never given a name. He's been alone up until now."

"In the cold with no food. I like it here." Almaji took the blankets off Nico's bed and wrapped them around his small frame. "I really like it here, with Will."

"So you took him back with you." Nico nodded in acceptance. "That's pretty cool of you. But why 'Almaji'?"

"Ask the Stolls." Will replied helplessly, letting out a small laugh. "Al seems to like it, so it's okay."

"I'll stick with calling him Al." Nico decided. "Almaji sounds like a disease. Ugh. I hate plagues."

"It's a name, not a plague." Almaji corrected. "What's a plague, anyway?"

Nico took his shirt off when Will asked to let him work on his shoulders before looking to Al. "It's a really bad disease that spreads quickly. They aren't really common anymore. But when I was a kid, there was a really bad one where I lived."

"Is that why you hate them?" Almaji asked, his eyes wide in wonder. "Where did you live? Was it in New York?"

Nico cracked a small smile, finding it hopeful that he didn't hate kids. Maybe he was still a good guy, after all. "No, I only live in New York when it comes to camp. I actually lived in Italy at the time."

He heard Will take in a sharp breath, which Nico replaced with the blond having figured out what he meant. Italy, the eradication of Malaria that took 62 years. It wasn't _the_ plague, but it did kill.

"Italy?! That's so far away!" Almaji looked Nico over as if he had said he came from Mars. "Is that why you came here, everyone was sick?"

Nico gave him a sad smile, reluctant to tell the truth. "Yeah, sure, Al."

Will went back to work on Nico's biceps but kept looking up to glance the two over. He'd smile every now and again as if he had planned for the two of them to click. This was the Nico he liked, not the Nico that had too many powers and too little control.

"So, Al, where do you sleep? In Will's cabin or the Hermes cabin?" Nico asked.

Almaji shrugged. "I dunno. Both. I like sleeping outside, though."

"He's used to it. But we make sure he's out of harm's way and covered with blankets." Will added in. "And he's not strong in knowledge about the gods yet, you know. He doesn't know all their names."

"But he believes?" Nico asked. "And Chiron let you tell him?"

"He can see through the Mist." Will shrugged. "I don't know. Chiron thinks all of this was meant to be, or whatever."

 _You do believe in the Fates, but not everything they've done has come true._ Anubis appeared again to ruin Nico's mood. _I've messed up quite a few of their plans. So we don't know exactly what was meant to be, anymore._

 _I hate you,_ Nico's smile dropped as his eyes swept over Almaji again. _I really hate you and your thoughts, Anubis._

 _I can't help that I'm right._


	16. Chapter 16

Nico hated the idea that he was cheating the Fates. It felt _wrong_. A wrongness that'd come back to bite him in the ass. From what he got from Anubis's thoughts, Almaji would probably have something to do with this.

Surprising himself, Nico didn't leave Camp Half-Blood after Will took the stitches out. He didn't even leave after the first week. Instead, he fell in love with his cabin and watching Will try and raise the young boy he had found on the streets. Even though he was watching Alamji because he was scared what the boy meant for him, Nico also watched because he liked seeing a happy ending for once. Almaji's story, if this was it, was the first Nico had seen that was happy at the end of being told.

 _You weren't overthinking it._ Anubis assured him one day at breakfast, Nico's face red from blush when he thought he had caught Will staring at him. _His eyes couldn't leave your face._

 _Get out of my head, you liar._ Nico rolled his eyes, snapping his fork in two. _Look what you made me do._

 _I didn't make you do anything. That's you being unable to control your strength._ Anubis shot back. _I'm already blamed for a lot. Don't blame me for things I didn't do._

 _You're the reason I have all this strength I can't control._ Nico tossed the broken fork aside. _So it is your fault. I can blame you all I want._

 _I didn't force this deal on you. You agreed, you know._ Anubis's voice turned moody. _This is your fault, too._

"Hey, Nico. Mentally fighting with Anubis?" Percy sat down across from Nico, carrying his own plate of breakfast. "I mean, you're getting the attention of campers that don't know of your...predicament."

"Wow, big word, Percy," Nico muttered, his blush long gone with the new anger Anubis had planted inside him. "Now go away and test your new vocabulary on someone else."

"Haha," Percy stuffed some pancakes in his mouth, syrup dripping down his chin and onto the wooden table. "I came to talk to you."

"About what? If this is about Anubis please leave. I'm already mad enough at him." Nico pushed Percy's plate towards the edge of the table. "Go."

"Hang on a second." Percy stopped the plate from sliding off. "Chiron thinks you're being too...showy with this. People are going to find out."

"So? Enough people already know." Nico tossed the pendant around his neck around, feeling the steady pulling of the string against his neck. "They'll find out anyway."

"Which will risk the possibility of your father finding out," Percy added. "Which would start a war, which wouldn't be good in the least."

"I don't think people would literally find out." Nico rolled his eyes. "They'd think something is weird with me, but they won't pin it to Anubis. It'll be fine, Percy."

"Will Solace already did." Percy blurted out.

" _What_?" Nico's voice turned cold. "What do you mean?" The shadows of the campers started to flicker and move towards the son of Hades, pooling around his feet. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It just happened. He came to Annabeth last night asking." Percy explained. "He said when he was healing you he felt another deity besides your soul. And then he saw the pendant around your neck."

"He's too nosy for his own good," Nico grumbled. "Look, I'll talk to him and make sure he doesn't tell anyone else. If you leave me be I'll make sure no one else figures it out. Okay?"

"Okay," Percy agreed, getting up. "I'll go tell Annabeth."

Nico rolled his eyes at Percy's attachment to his girlfriend but couldn't blame him. Nico felt attached to Will and they weren't even technically friends. A boyfriend, for Nico, would be someone Nico would never be able to stray away from. From how much Nico knew Percy to love Annabeth, that must have been exactly what Percy had been feeling.

Nico left his unfinished plate at the table before stalking to the Apollo table, stopping behind Will Solace with an air of annoyance. "Solace, we need to go talk."

Will's fork froze halfway to his mouth before dropping back onto his plate. "About what? Are your arms hurting you?"

"What? No. We need to talk about something else." Nico gave Almaji a small smile before dragging Will to his feet. "Let's go, you annoying medic."

Will stumbled after him, his blond hair flying in the breeze. "Slow down, Nico."

"No," Nico got to his cabin soon and closed the door behind them, finally letting Will's arm go. When he looked to Will, he was surprised to see tears of pain in the son of Apollo's eyes. "What? All I did was grab your wrist."

"Nothing." Will's voice came out shaky and weak. "What did you need to talk about? Are you hurt?"

"Percy told me that you know about...Anubis." Nico explained, trying to figure out what he had done to cause pain to the other boy.

"Oh," Will wiped at his eyes. "Yeah, sorry. I felt him when I was healing your arms."

"I need your word that you won't tell anyone." Nico crossed his arms, frowning at the smell that started to reach his nose. Almost like...decay?

"I won't, I promise." Will replied quickly. "I promise I won't tell anyone. It's not anyone's business, anyway."

"You're right about that." Nico moved Will to his bed. "What did I do to you? Show me."

"N-No, I'm fine." Will tried to get up, seeming...scared. He was scared of him.

 _Of course,_ Nico thought grimly. _I ruined it._

Will walked towards the door quickly, holding the wrist Nico had dragged him thereby. "I should really get going, Nico. You don't have to worry about me telling anyone, okay? I apologize for going to Annabeth about it. It won't happen again."

"William! Show me what I did before I force you to!" Nico's fear was shown as anger as the shadows blocked the door of the cabin. " _Now_ , Solace."

Will stared at Nico with fearful blue eyes before slowly making his way over to Nico. "Why do you want to see what you did so bad? You're not one to take pleasure in something like that. Or...or I _thought_ you weren't..."

Nico grabbed Will's arm and brought it up to the light so he could see, his heart sinking when he saw what he had done to his potential friend. The skin of his wrist was decaying flesh, down to the white bone. The smell seemed as strong as a year old corpse.

"I did that..." Nico dropped Will's wrist as the shadows dropped from in front of the door. "I'm...I'm..." The apology wouldn't leave his lips and after a moment of silence, Will exited the cabin, mumbling about having to fix his wrist up. Nico watched him go and didn't fight it, now planning on leaving himself.


	17. Chapter 17

Nico walked around the streets of New York, his hands in his pockets and his head hung low. He felt like everything was crashing down around him, like nothing in his life would ever bring him happiness. He admitted it, Will had brought him happiness, but he had now even ruined that. How hadn't he been more careful? He hurt Will...he had really hurt him.

 _Anubis, do you think he hates me now?_ Nico asked sullenly, dropping to his knees in the dirty alley he had ended up in. _I think he hates me..._

Anubis didn't answer. The wind roared and the traffic was as loud as in any big city, but nothing would have blocked out his voice. The only reason he didn't hear Anubis was because the god hadn't answered, not because it was loud that night.

 _Anubis, please. Please answer me._ Nico pulled at his hair until it hurt and then some more, feeling some strands coming out from the force. His biceps shook and his eyes moistened with tears, but he didn't let himself cry. Not yet.

"I need to talk to someone that isn't afraid of me!" Nico shouted, his voice breaking as he couldn't keep the words to just his head anymore. "Come on, Anubis! Please!"

"You looking for Mount Sinai or something, kid?" A gruff man made his presence known, mentioning the psychiatric hospital not too far away. He looked like any stereotypical gangster, with tattoos on his arms and a red bandana hanging from his mouth. "You know the sky ain't going to respond, right?"

"Go away," Nico replied miserably, unable to get Will's hurt look out of his mind. "Just leave me alone!"

"Empty your pockets and you've got a deal." the man made it known that a gun was in his pocket. "That jacket looks expensive. Give me that, also."

Nico rolled his eyes, letting out a little laugh at how ironic his life seemed to be. There he was, scared of himself and his powers, being mugged by a mortal that couldn't do anything else with his life. Perfect.

"Why are you laughing? You insane bastard." His hair, as red as his bandana, glimmered in the moonlight as he pulled the gun from his pocket and aimed it at Nico. "Come on! Jacket off and pockets empty! I don't have the time for this!"

"You're the one that came to me, did you not?" Nico was aware that he probably did look insane and knew it wasn't far from the truth. His smile and laughter stood out against his tears and his eyes were sparked with madness. He had been talking to himself, which remained true with no response from Anubis. "Just get out of here before you get hurt."

" _You_? Hurt _me_?" he laughed so hard his face became the color of his hair. "You're funny, kid. I might let you go for that if you cooperate."

The tears poured from Nico's eyes harder, but the laughter didn't die down. How could he be bothered by such a puny mortal? "I'll give you one last warning. Look, I'm not giving you this jacket. It's a personal belonging. Go try to steal from someone else."

Anger started to replace the humor on the man's face. "One. Last. Chance."

"Shoot me." Nico teased halfheartedly, not expecting the man to actually go through with it.

But he did.

The bullet moved faster than Nico expected and embedded itself in his arm, breaking apart the bone that was in its path. It made him grit his teeth in pain and glare at his sudden enemy, but Nico wasn't worried. He was never scared of anything but himself anymore.

A grin split the man's face. "Now, you wanna cooperate? The next bullet will be in your skull. I've got a pretty good aim, you know."

The shadows started to bend to Nico's arm, covering the blood-coated skin that was hidden beneath his jacket. Their ice-cold tendrils wove his skin together, making what he assumed to be a makeshift bandage. Of course, he couldn't even get gravely hurt anymore.

The only thing that gave him some comfort was the fact that he could still bleed. If he bled red, he was still part human.

Nico stood from the ground and dusted his pants off, his tears having stopped when the bullet had hit him. This man became his enemy as soon as he hurt him, which allowed Nico to hurt him back. And since he was a mortal mind, it could be some fun.

Raising a finger to his forehead, Nico made sure the man had a clear view of him. "Right here. Show me your good aim."

"Insane and suicidal. Pity." he brought the gun up and fired it, but the bullet didn't get a chance to hit Nico. Instead, it disappeared into the shadows Nico had brought before him. Almost as a shadow travel for the bullet, Nico moved it through the dark masses until it came out of another shadow, which just so happened to be the man's. It entered the redhead's groin and came out his side, splattering blood and bodily insides across the brick wall.

"Ugh, disgusting." Nico pretended to shield his eyes. "I'm just a kid, dude."

In his last moments, the man stared at the night sky with his lips moving silently, no doubt trying to figure out what had happened. Nico kneeled next to him and leaned over his face, his smirk matching the insanity of a murderer. "Sorry, but you can't take my jacket today. Try again in the next life, if you go for it. I'll be waiting."

He grabbed the sticky gun and put the barrel against the man's forehead, fingering the trigger playfully. "Want me to put you out of your misery? I mean, you don't have to worry. I'll take your things so no one else does. This gun is pretty nice, even if it's got your blood all over it. Maybe I'll sell it with your body. Wouldn't that be nice?"

He looked into the man's one more time, taking in the pain and confusion, before moving to pull the trigger. Just as he was going to, however, Anubis shouted louder than he had before. _Nico! Put the gun down and get him to a hospital!_

Nico let himself twist his lips in annoyance. "Now you're talking to me? Really? Why not before?"

 _Nico, put the gun down. He's just a mortal, that's it._ Anubis talked quickly and rushed, but Nico could tell his voice was shaking. _I didn't answer because of what you asked._

"What I asked? I asked to talk to someone that wasn't afraid of me." Nico replied in confusion.

 _Exactly._ Anubis became quiet. _That's why I didn't answer. I couldn't fulfill that request._

Nico's smile dropped and his eyes melted from their cold state. Seeing the man's facial reactions, he had seen the change. "You're...you're scared of me."

The man nodded, but Anubis also agreed. That was the day Nico would _never_ forget, along with the day that he had hurt Will. Those two days, more than anything, were what shaped Nico to see exactly what he was. A monster.

That still, however, didn't stop him from wanting to see the certain son of Apollo. He wanted to see him, talk to him, apologize to him. But would Will forgive a monster?


	18. Chapter 18

A week went by on the streets. Nico tried to stay away from people as much as possible, but a kid in New York City was going to get mugged eventually. Before he knew it, he had killed two more people.

What scared him the most was the fact that he didn't care.

Nico finally got the courage to talk to Will the next Friday night, since he couldn't stand to stay in the city any longer. He shadow traveled to his cabin to find it empty, slightly disappointed to not find Will there. But why would he be? Nico had hurt him, _badly_ , and had just disappeared after. Who would want anything to do with someone like that? Who would want anything to do with a murderer? Will was a healer. He'd feel the deaths on Nico's soul just as he had felt Anubis.

"Why'd I even come back?" Nico whispered to himself, collapsing onto the nearest bed. "He probably hates me! Why...why did I ever think this was a good idea...Why..."

"Nico!" Almaji's voice made Nico jump slightly and turn around faster than he thought possible. Behind him, Almaji was half asleep under the black covers. His hair was a mess and his eyes were droopy, but he looked happy as ever to see the son of Hades. "You've been gone for so long! Where did you go?"

"I, uh, had some stuff to do." Nico lied. "What are you doing in here? Why'd they let you in here, more like it."

"Will thinks I'm in the Hermes cabin, and Travis thinks I'm with Will." Almaji smiled proudly at his plan. "It works and I get to sleep in here."

"Okay, new question. Why do you even want to sleep in here?" Nico looked around at the dark cabin's interior. "It's not a place little kids would usually want to be."

"It's comfortable." Almaji buried his head back into the blankets for effect. "So comfortable! And Will's been waiting for you. So I'm on watch for him, secretly."

"I doubt he's been waiting for me, Al. Sorry to burst your bubble." Nico laid by Almaji and stared at the bottom of the bunk above him. "He's doesn't miss me at all."

"He said he did." the kid frowned in confusion, peeking his eyes open to look at Nico. "He said to tell you if I see you."

"Probably so he can kick me out of camp." Nico countered. "He wants to make sure I don't hurt anybody."

Almaji's large eyes became ever wider. "You'd hurt somebody?"

Nico quickly shook his head. "No, no. Sorry for scaring you, Al. He just thinks I would. I got mad at him last time."

"Why?"

Nico couldn't help but smile at the anticipated question. "Cause. He stole my bacon at breakfast."

"Ah! No fair!" Almaji brought his hands above him and curled them into small fists, his eyes lighting up. "I'd be mad, too! Let's prank him!"

"As much as I'd love to, that's up the Stolls to do, I'm afraid." Nico gently pushed Almaji's hands down. "Get some sleep, kid. It's late."

"But you're going to leave when I'm asleep," Almaji replied quietly, sadness crossing his features. "You left last time without saying goodbye."

Nico couldn't speak, his heart feeling odd at the way Almaji cared about him. He cared that he left, he expected him to say goodbye. A child actually like Nico. He wasn't afraid of him.

 _He wasn't afraid of him._

"I'm not going to leave you without saying goodbye," Nico promised. "I swear on the River Styx. Has Will taught you about that yet?"

Almaji nodded, seeming satisfied. "Are you going to go see Will?"

Nico smiled at him. "You seem to read minds, Al. I was planning on it when you fell asleep."

"I'll help Rachel with prophecies." Almaji closed his eyes and brought the blankets close to his chin. "I can help her write them and keep them all neat."

"That'd be a pretty cool job," Nico admitted. "Maybe I'll talk to her about it."

"You would?!" Almaji's eyes shot open again.

"If you sleep," Nico warned. "You need your rest if you're going to have an important job like that, Al."

"Got it, got it." he closed his eyes. "Goodnight, Nico."

"Night," Nico replied, wishing someone goodnight for the first time in years. When had been the last time? He couldn't even remember.

He laid in silence until he was sure Almaji was asleep, the boy's soft breathing the only sound in Cabin 13. Nico didn't even bother to move until he started to notice that he felt another lifeform in the room. Another...rather bright...lifeform.

Nico's head whipped around to face the door, his face paling when he saw Will sitting by it as if he had been there awhile. He watched Nico with a small smile on his face, rubbing his bandaged wrist. "Hi,"

Nico put a finger to his lips before gesturing outside, not wanting to wake the sleeping child beside him. Will got the message and exited the cabin quietly, Nico following close behind. Once they were outside and the door was closed, Will sat on the porch railing.

"How long were you sitting there?" Nico asked, standing by Will and leaning against the railing. The sky was dark and the moon wasn't in sight, but a few specks of lights shone through the clouds.

"I was watching Almaji before you came. You just didn't notice me for some reason." Will admitted. "Are...are you mad?"

"No...are you scared?"

"No," Will didn't look fully truthful, but he didn't stop smiling. "You're really good with Almaji, you know."

"You think so?" Nico asked, shocked.

Will nodded. "Yeah, course. You're a natural. Have you had to take care of a kid before?"

Nico let out a small laugh. "Um, no. Never before. This is a first for me."

"Same here, but we're making it work." Will's eyes drifted to his bandaged wrist, his smile faltering for a minute before regaining its past look. "Nico, can I ask you a question?"

"After I say something." Nico looked away from Will, his scowl deepening as he tried to think of a way to apologize. He hated admitting he was wrong, but he had been wrong a lot lately. Too much for his own good.

"Okay, go ahead." Will watched Nico even though the boy refused to look back at him. "Just say it, it's okay."

"I...I...um,..." Nico flicked his eyes around nervously. "I...I wanted to say...that...I'm...I'm sorry, Will. I'm sorry for hurting you how I did. I really didn't mean it. Please believe me."

"Of course I believe you." Will replied lightly. "I mean, if you meant it a lot more power would have leaked through."

Nico frowned, looking back to Will. "What do you mean by that?"

Will tossed some hair out of his face, his smile turning sheepish. "When I healed you and when you did that to my wrist, I've put together some pretty useful information about your powers. I haven't told anyone, don't worry, but I thought you'd like to know as much as you can. I doubt a demigod hosting an Egyptian god has been done before for you to look into."

Nico nodded in acceptance. "Continue."

"When I healed you, I felt Anubis in you, you know." Will started. "I felt...I felt the rawness of that power now that yours and Anubis's is combined. I felt how much you really have. I...I may have been a little scared...but that's only because I was shocked. I've never felt that much power inside a non-immortal being before. It was incredible. That's why when you hurt me, I knew you hadn't meant it.

"When a demigod uses their powers, it comes out more...forced, for lack of a better word. You can feel the push behind it and the motive. A healer can, at least. I've had a lot of patients try to get me away from them, even if that meant using their powers on me. I know the difference between how accidental and purposeful powers are felt. When you hurt me, it wasn't on purpose. That drive wasn't behind it. Yes, it was a lot of power, but it still didn't have that push. If you had really wanted to hurt me, I wouldn't have an arm anymore. It's as simple as that.

"So I know you didn't mean to, Nico. I know. So you don't have to explain yourself to me. And I can take it. I'm a son of Apollo, remember? I've got my skin healing as we speak. I'm going to be okay. And the other reason I knew you wouldn't hurt me...because you're _you_ , Nico. You're not going to hurt your friend, I know you. So it's all okay, I promise."

Nico's eyes had watered slightly but he kept the tears from falling, his heart aching at the friendship he felt. Gods, he was unused to it. Feeling someone care about him, just as Almaji did, was exhausting. A good exhausting. He felt _good._ At that moment, he didn't feel so much as a monster.

"You think we're friends?" Nico blurted out, unable to get past Will's word choice. "You said...you said _friends._ "

"Yes...? Is that okay?" Will squinted his eyes in confusion. "Usually when two people flirt, they're friends first."

"F-Fl..Fli...I...we don't...we don't flirt...I-I..." Nico spluttered, his face heating up in the cold night air. "Will, we...flirting...it's..."

"Been going on too long? I agree." Will laughed at Nico's expression, his own face tinted red. "Almaji asked me yesterday when I was going to kiss you."

" _Al_ asked that? He's too young! Wait, what did you say?" Nico tried to cover his face with his hands, his stomach twisting into knots.

"Well, that's a secret." Will smirked. "But can I give you a hint?"

"William Solace-"

Will kissed Nico's cheek, smiling at how the usual cold skin was warm. As he pulled away, he couldn't help but remember Nico's scent. How did the boy smell like so odd things but make it work so well? He smelled like the earth and like an old bookstore, with smoke lingered in. He smelled, to Will, like Heaven.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Will said casually, ruffling Nico's hair. "Maybe you'll flirt back, who knows. Bye, now."

As Will left, Nico couldn't help but stare at the spot he had been standing in utter shock. How in the world had that even happened? Will Solace, _William Solace_ , had just kissed his cheek. _William Solace._

Nico stumbled into his cabin before he fainted from shock.


	19. Chapter 19

Almaji woke Nico up the next morning with a bright smile and a loud stomach. "It's breakfast time!" He sat above Nico with his face over his, letting his hair hit Nico's in a chance to annoy him. "Come onnnn. Will will be there. Ha, Will will."

Nico gently pushed Almaji aside and turned over. "I'll be there in a second. Five more minutes."

"And in five minutes you'll ask for another five minutes," Almaji argued. "If you don't get up I'll have Will wake you up."

Nico ignored him, keeping his eyes closed against the day. He was exhausted, and the bed was more comfortable than anything he found to sleep on the past week. He just wanted to stay there all morning.

"Nico!" Almaji shook Nico's shoulders. "Wake up!"

"I'm too tired." Nico scowled. "Go away."

Almaji grabbed onto his shoulders tighter, his small hands digging into his worn bones. Nico could feel his stomach stirring, his power moving to the cause of the threat...

"Almaji!" Nico threw Almaji's hands off him seconds before he got harmed. "Don't touch me!"

Almaji's eyes welled up with tears and his face filled with hurt, but Nico couldn't take back yelling at the young boy. If he had kept his hands there for seconds longer...

He ran out of the cabin as fast as his small legs could carry him, the door slamming shut behind him. Nico watched him go in sadness, knowing very well that he would tattle to Will about what he had done. Would Will appreciate the fact that he almost hurt a child? Or would he appreciate that he stopped himself?

Would he be scared?

Nico let himself fall asleep again but couldn't keep Almaji out of his head. Why did that boy seem so important? He seemed like a good kid, Will liked him, and Nico usually enjoyed his company. So why did he feel like the kid would change his life?

When Nico woke up and he thought about everything, the annoying voice came back with all its annoyingness. _Can I input my opinion?_

 _You will, anyway._

 _Will almost treats him like his own._ Anubis seemed amused. _As if Will is his father._

 _And you feel like telling me this because...?_

 _Almaji seems to like you. If you and Will got together..._ Anubis trailed off _. I know you're young and you don't think about this, but I can't help but notice._

 _You're an idiot and a pedophile._ Nico scoffed, getting up. _He's like a little brother, and I doubt me and Will will stay together for that long._

Anubis didn't answer, but he knew Nico was annoyed with him. Even if Nico didn't believe he had a future, Anubis did. And Almaji seemed to be at least a little brother to the two lovebirds. He was good for them.

Nico got dressed before jogging out of the cabin, ignoring people's confused glances as he made his way to the Infirmary. He needed to know where he and Will stood, if there was a possibility of them. He needed to know if he was looking for another place to live.

The Infirmary was quiet in the pale sunlight, dust particles floating by the open doors. There was only two patients, each only supporting minor cuts and bruises. Will tended to them as if they were dying, however, not letting them out of his sight. He cared too much about everybody even though he knew that they'd be just fine.

Almaji sat on a spare bed and watched Will stitch a teenage girl quietly, a small smile playing at his thin lips. It unnerved Nico to see the boy smiling at blood, but knew he could just be smiling at Will. He was watching healing, which was pretty cool. Of course he'd smile.

"Hey, Al." Nico went and sat by him, his eyes trained on Will. "I...I wanted to apologize for this morning. I was tired and crabby."

Almaji ignored him, his eyes not moving from Will's work.

"I wasn't thinking right." Nico continued, his voice laced with guilt. "I'm so used to being alone that it kind of scared me to wake up next to someone else. So I'm sorry."

After a couple of minutes, Nico shook the boy's shoulder, frowning. "Al, I'm talking to you."

"Hm?" Almaji turned to face him, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, I zoned out. What did you say?"

Nico looked into his eyes for a minute, trying to decide if the boy could be a demigod. He didn't seem normal anymore. "Iapologizingizing for this morning."

"Oh, it's okay." Almaji shrugged lightly before bringing his foot up beside him on the bed, playing with his shoe laces. The shoes looked to be too small and were pink, obviously borrowed from another camper. "I got scared so I ran."

"I didn't mean to scare you." Nico tied the laces for him, his slender fingers shaking slightly. "I was tired."

"Is that the excuse you always use?" Will broke in, having walked up to the two of them. He eyed Nico suspiciously but didn't look too mad. "Can we talk privately?"

"I'll go visit Travis and Connor." Almaji got the hint and exited the Infirmary, sparing them some looks over his small shoulder.

Nico looked up to Will, not knowing how to feel about the two of them. "Hey,"

"Hey? Really?" Will sat next to him. "What happened this morning? He said you yelled at him for touching you...?"

"I was half asleep and annoyed." Nico explained. "I didn't...I didn't want to do to him what I did to you. I could feel it coming."

Will's eyes widened. "You...you could tell it was going to happen?"

Nico nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

"That's good." Will smiled. "That's a step closer to controlling it."

Nico sighed at him, his face deadpanned. "I'll never be able to fully control it. We know this."

"No, we don't." Will shook his head. "I really think you could, Nico."

Nico looked away, his dark eyes clouding over with emotion. How could Will believe so much in him? Who in their right mind would believe in the powderkeg son of Hades? He was a timebomb and they all knew it.

"What are you thinking?" Will asked, resting a hand on Nico's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Nico nodded curtly. "Thinking."

"About...?"

"Where do we stand?" Nico asked abruptly. "Like...last night...it was...it was nice."

Will laughed softly. "You're adorable. Let's get this straight, I'm not. And you aren't either. And it seems we like each other."

Nico blushed darkly, his face heating up. "William Solace-"

"So would you like to date me?" Will asked, his face also turning red. "I mean, um, if you're not up to it, after the war and everything, I mean-"

"I would." Nico accepted quickly.

Will's smile turned brighter than possible. "Really?" Once Nico nodded he turned to face him, playing with his fingers. "Can I talk to Anubis?"

"What?" Nico asked, taken aback.

"I want to talk to Anubis." Will repeated. "Is he in there?"

Nico sighed but let Anubis take over, the god having been poking around his mind curiously. Once he did, he looked to Will as if he just met him. "Hello, son of Apollo."

"Anubis." Will crossed his arms. "Nico is now my boyfriend. I know you're a god and all but if you hurt him you'll have hell to pay."

Anubis laughed softly, the sound odd from Nico's mouth. "I won't hurt him, Will. I think me and him have similar thoughts, now. We know what we need to do."

Will frowned. "What does that mean?"

"If there's another battle, we know where our allegiances lie. Nico wanted to run away again. Remember the week he was gone? He'd rather live on the streets than live here. But we're working on keeping him here." Anubis explained.

Nico quickly took back control, not having to try hard despite it having used to be an impossible task. "Will, don't listen to him. He's an idiot that spills too much information."

"Why didn't you want to live here?" Will asked, his smile faltering slightly. "Was it me?"

Nico bowed his head, his eyes closing. "I'm sorry. I thought you hated me. I had hurt you and...and I didn't want to risk doing it again. I...I was scared of myself, Will. I still am."

Will wrapped an arm around Nico's shoulders and pulled him close, leaning his head on the top of Nico's. "You shouldn't be scared. We're working on it. I know you'll be able to control it. _I know_. And I'll work with you until you can."

"How aren't you scared?" Nico accused.

"Of course I'm scared. I'm scared as hell. But not of you. I'm scared of your powers, not _you_. There's a difference, Nico." Will brushed his fingers through Nico's tangled hair. "And I can see past that to see you. You're just a scared demigod that needs help. I'm a _healer._ There's no way I could leave you behind."

 _He's good for you,_ Anubis expressed. _He's really good for you._

For the first time, Nico agreed.


	20. Chapter 20

Nico let another week go by before heading to talk to Will about what they actually needed to talk about. It was one thing to let things calm down, but Nico couldn't ignore it anymore. Not after his dreams.

The first dream started with his time on the streets. He watched himself kill that man, over and over, but every time he would see Almaji in the background, his eyes red, his face pale, blood splattered on his clothes.

The night after that, he dreamt about the three Fates. They were busy putting back together a ball of yarn, discarded remnants around their feet and a look of annoyance on their faces. Before the dream ended, they'd look at Nico as if he had killed their puppy.

The third dream consisted of Almaji playing with a deck of cards while sitting in a pool of blood. A body laid next to him and the city was seen behind him. His smile never dropped and his eyes seemed to be redder than Hades' when he got mad.

Everything about these dreams made Nico too uncomfortable to leave Almaji alone. He made sure an experienced camper was always at his side. Others thought Nico was worried about Almaji's safety, but it was just the opposite.

He finally went to Will about it during lunchtime, his conscious getting the better of him. If something happened and he had known beforehand... But would anybody believe him? Almaji was as innocent as they got.

But why did he keep showing up in Nico's dreams?

"Will," Nico pulled him away from the Infirmary. "You're not allowed to go eat, yet."

Will followed, his hands still full of bandages. "Nico, if you wanted to hang out, you could have just-"

"That's not what's happening, Solace." Nico scowled as they got to the Hades cabin. Nico made sure to check everywhere to make sure they weren't being spied on before looking back to the son of Apollo. "We have to talk about something really important."

Will recognized the urgency in Nico's voice and quickly lost his joking manner. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"You need to promise to hear me out, okay?" Nico crossed his arms. "I'm being really serious, but it might sound stupid at first."

"Okay, okay. I'm listening. Is this about Anubis or something?" Will asked. "I mean, I've been having questions about him, too. Like if he'll actually disappear from your mind when we go on dates-"

"Will!" Nico cut him off for the second time that day, his blush spreading across his cheeks. "That is definitely not what I was planning on talking about. We can discuss that later."

"Ah, so you're curious, too."

Nico rolled his dark eyes. "William Solace."

"Right, sorry." Will held his hands up in surrender. "I apologize for wanting only one soul in my boyfriend when I kiss him. I don't want to kiss an Egyptian god."

"I don't even think Anubis is gay," Nico admitted. "Just calm down about that. This is about Almaji."

Will's playful smile dropped. "What happened? Is he okay?"

"He's eating lunch with the Stolls right now." Nico sat by Will on the hard bed. "He isn't in immediate danger or whatever. I just...had to tell you something about him. I have to tell someone. And...and...I maybe...trust you. Don't let that go to your head, got it? I'm just saying that I need to tell you."

Will smiled again. "Go on,"

Nico told him about his dreams and everything that Anubis had leaked out about screwing with the Fates. He didn't hold anything back in the dreams, even when he had to tell Will that he killed that man. Things with Almaji were just too important to hide things like that. Will knew Nico was dangerous, they had established that. Acting like it was an accident was enough to get the point across.

Will put his head in his hands finishing the explanation, his fingertips entangling with the mop of golden hair on his head. "Nico...you're always the bearer of bad news, huh?" It meant to be a joke, but Nico didn't take it as such.

"We need to know if he's a demigod." Will looked up at Nico, his smile gone and his eyes determined. "Let's start there."

"And how will we even do that?" Nico questioned. "I think generations before us wished it was that easy."

"Again, you either underestimate or overestimate yourself." Will jabbed Nico in the chest. "I think you know how we'll do this. Ask Anubis if you don't."

"I'm not asking Anubis anything." Nico quickly rejected. He heard Anubis mentally sigh but ignored it. "Just tell me what you're thinking, Solace."

 _It's your powers, Nico._ Nico could basically hear Anubis roll his eyes. _You just need to think._

 _Think? I can't think when you're taking up my mind!_ Nico held up a finger to Will to tell him to wait before turning his attention back to Anubis. _Maybe I'll think if you leave me alone._

 _Why do I feel like that's just an excuse to get me to leave? You won't think and we all know it._

 _All?_ Nico scowled. _Where are you getting this 'all'? It's just me and you in this stupid head, you know._

"Nico?" Will waved his hand in front of the son of Hades' face. "Did you figure it out or do I have to tell you?"

"Have to tell me," Nico admitted. "But blame Anubis."

"You can sense souls, right? You can sense when someone dies and you can sense souls." Will started.

Nico gave him a small nod. "That's old news, Solace."

Will thrust his hand out. "Hold my hand."

"Excuse me?" he squeaked.

"Hold my hand." Will grabbed Nico's hand and intertwined their fingers. "There. Now tell me what you feel about my life force once you calm down."

"William Solace...I...I am...I'm..." Nico spluttered, his hand limp in Will's. "I am calm!"

"Sure, okay." Will's voice was laced with sarcasm. "I thought we were dating, Nico. Holding hands shouldn't be this big of a thing when we're trying to figure something out."

"Oh, so this is my fault? You're the one that said it so abruptly." Nico countered, slowly starting to grip onto Will's hand. "I don't even know what I'm supposed to be doing."

"Feel my life source. Tell me what it feels like." Will instructed again.

Nico looked in Will's eyes for a moment before looking away, grumbling under his breath. "Fine, this better be worthwhile."

Nico closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax, his soul melting into the shadows in the room. He looked around from the shadows and saw blackness, including the ink that leaked out of his own body. Will's, however, was a bright yellow. Where his heart should have been, Nico could sense a sun.

 _Aren't our powers together so useful?_ Anubis sounded smug. _You can't hate me too much if this is helping you with your...crisis._

 _We would have found a way without you._ Nico snapped his eyes open. "William, I'm done. Let me tell you before I blow Anubis out of my head."

"How would you even...? You know what, never mind." Will didn't take his hand back, and Nico didn't mind. "So, what did you see?"

Nico described everything, not mentioning anything Anubis had said. Will beamed the whole time as if he had just won the lottery.

"What?" Nico questioned. "Why do you look so happy?"

"I was right!" Will blurted out. "I've been trying to trace your powers to see what you'll be capable of now that your soul is leaking into Anubis', or vise versa. And I was right!"

Nico looked at him in confusion. "You...what?"

"I've been talking to Annabeth and doing research." Will was bouncing in his seat now. "And then what I gathered from what I can tell about you physically. I've been trying to see where your powers will end up since you've been having so much trouble. I wanted to help. And I got something right."

"How long have you been prying into my business?" Nico snapped.

Will's smile dropped. "Come on, Nico. Don't be like that. I was only trying to help. You know that...right?"

"Just...don't do anything without asking me first, okay? And you're explaining all about my powers after we fix this whole mess with Almaji." Nico demanded. "I'm guessing you want me to do to Almaji what I just did to you?"

Will nodded. "I can bring him here."

Nico sighed heavily but didn't fight it. "Why does this always happen to me..."


	21. Chapter 21

Nico looked up when Will entered the room with Almaji, putting on a fake smile for the young kid. "Hey, come here."

Almaji looked to Will before jogging over to Nico, his smile bright as he jumped on the bed beside him. "Will said we're going to play Mythomagic."

"What-"

"Maybe," Will interjected. "He needs to check something real quick."

"How?" Almaji looked between them, suddenly realizing that this wasn't just a friendly interaction. "What's wrong?"

Nico wrapped an arm around Almaji's shoulders and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Will wants me to try my powers out on people so I can help out in the Infirmary. He's a baby that thinks it's too much work."

Almaji burst out laughing, causing Will to look over in confusion. "What?"

"Nothing." Nico looked at Almaji. "So I'm going to try and see if you're healthy, okay?"

The boy nodded. "K,"

Nico closed his eyes and grabbed onto Almaji's hands just as he had done with Will. He felt his soul departing through the shadows, looking around the room. Will was his usual flashlight-like self, Nico was dark and cold, but Almaji's energy was...it was different, to say the least. Nico could immediately tell that he wasn't fully mortal, no matter what they had thought previously. Everything about him was a deep, healthy orange. Where his heart should have been, it looked like wounds were constantly being stitched back together. Nico could feel the godly power deep in the boy's soul, but it wasn't too strong. He was definitely not a son of the Main Twelve so Apollo was out, but everything about him screamed healing.

Nico opened his eyes and let Almaji go, suddenly feeling too sick to move. He leaned over the side of the bed and threw up, his energy draining.

"Nico!" Will ran to his side as Anubis alerted himself to the situation, his end of the line grim and worried. _Nico, you always have boundless energy when it comes to your powers nowadays._

"Did I do something wrong?" Almaji asked quietly, watching Will wipe Nico's face with a napkin he pulled from his first aid belt. Leo had given it to him as a gift, it working the same as Leo's toolbelt did.

"No, no, it wasn't you." Nico managed before throwing up again, this time all over Will. "Oh gods, sorry..."

"It's fine." Will picked him up and looked at Almaji. "Come on, let's take him to the Infirmary. He probably used too much of his powers."

Nico and Will both knew that was a lie, but Almaji bought it and followed them to the Infirmary not too far away. They got some strange looks from some of the campers, but they all knew by now not to question that trio.

"I'm sorry," Nico repeated as Will laid him down on the white bed. "I didn't mean to get it on you. It's so disgusting-"

"It's fine." Will assured him, getting some ambrosia. "Here, take this and see if it helps. You look fine to me. It might have actually been using too much power."

"We both know that wasn't it," Nico growled out, his hands clenching the bedsheets as he tried to keep the vomit down. "And get that away from me. I have no idea if I can have it anymore."

"Why wouldn't you? If anything, you're more god. You're taking it, di Angelo." Will looked to Almaji, who had been watching silently. "Can you go with the Stolls for the rest of the day while I take care of Nico? He's being stubborn enough to stay in here all day."

"Oh, no you don't, Sol-"

"Yep," Almaji ran out quickly, leaving Nico and Will the only ones in the silent room. They could hear the laughter and talking outside and feel the warm breeze settle in, but they felt more alone together than ever. Stepping into an Infirmary was like stepping into a church. Suddenly, everything gets quiet and you don't think about what's happening outside those doors.

Will sat next to Nico and forced the ambrosia into his hands. "Eat it. _Now_ , Nico."

Nico huffed in annoyance but ate the godly food, feeling his stomach start to put itself back together. "No one can hear us, right?"

"Right...?"

"I need to tell you about Almaji," Nico explained, slowly sitting up. "He's a demigod, but-"

"You're serious?!" Will's head perked up and his eyes widened. "I was still kinda doubtful. But...you're sure? You're sure, Nico?"

Nico nodded. "A minor god or goddess. He isn't very powerful at all, which is probably why we were mistaken."

"Which one?" Will questioned. "What did his soul feel like? Is he dangerous? Evil?"

"I'm not an expert on minor Greek gods and goddesses, but it's got something to do with healing," Nico explained everything he had seen. "As soon as I let him go I got that sick. I don't know why-"

 _I think I do._ Anubis cut in, making Nico go silent. _Remember what I was saying about the Fates? How we pissed them off and changed everything up?_

Nico nodded. _Yeah..._

 _If they had gotten their way, you would have never been able to do what you just did. You may have never even met Almaji. Doing what you just did, looking into his soul, was probably some serious changing-the-Fates action. As big as if you just walked up to them and clipped a string yourself._

Nico frowned deeply. _So that's why I got so sick? Because I altered something big I shouldn't have?_

 _Exactly._

Nico breathed out deeply before looking to Will. "Sorry."

"It's okay. Did he say anything important?" Will asked, completely used to Anubis being there by now.

Nico nodded, retelling all Anubis had told him before closing his eyes. "I hate this."

"Hate altering our world as we know it?" Will asked. "Yeah, I think we all would."

Nico let out a small chuckle. "I mean how everything is so complicated. I deserve some rest every once in awhile, I think."

"You're a Greek demigod hosting an Egyptian god." Will replied slowly. "I don't think you're _ever_ going to get rest."

Nico rolled his eyes under his closed eyelids. "You're probably right."

"I know I'm right." Will got a glass of water and handed it to Nico. "Drink this. You need to heal yourself."

"I'm fine. I feel better." Nico refused to take the offered glass. "That ambrosia is helping."

"Fine..." Will set the glass aside. "You stay in here. I'm going to go check up on Almaji, see if he remembers anything else."

Nico nodded and pulled the covers over himself, grumbling about how they were nowhere near as soft as the ones in his cabin. Will smiled at him for a minute more before heading out, knowing he had to talk to Rachel.


	22. Chapter 22

"You're saying...you want me to...look at Almaji's past?" Rachel asked slowly. They sat on the porch of the Big House in the rocking chairs, Will having called her in and told her it was an emergency. It was, in his eyes, just not in hers.

Will nodded. "Yep,"

"I can't do that whenever I want to!" she protested. "Is that seriously why you called me all the way here? I thought something was wrong."

"Something is wrong." Will replied weakly. "Nico messed up the Fates and-"

"Excuse me?" her eyes widened. "What do you mean, 'he messed up the Fates'?"

Will laughed nervously. "Maybe I wasn't supposed to tell you that... But I need you to do this for me, Rachel. Please."

"I don't choose what I see, I've told you this. If it's important enough, it'll come." she pulled her hair into a ponytail, the Big House casting shade over them but the sun still shining in all its glory. "So maybe you should get Nico over here or something, in case it does."

"You think it'll be important enough?"

"If what you said about the Fates is true," Rachel admitted. "Just hurry up, already. And I want to know how he screwed up the Fates. You better tell me when you get back."

Will nodded and got up to leave but froze when he saw Rachel go stiff and her head fall back. He hesitantly reached out to touch her shoulder, to ask her if she was okay, but as soon as he touched her his vision went black and his hand felt glued to her.

Nothing made a sound, nothing was in sight. He could smell Camp Half-Blood still as if he was still standing on that porch, but he couldn't even feel it under his feet. His stomach turned upside down and he almost puked, but his hand on Rachel's shoulder kept him upright. She grounded him.

"Will, open your eyes. You'll see what you need to." Rachel's voice commanded, a little too low and gruff for her usual self. He did as he was told, however, not wanting to mess with whatever Apollo magic was going through him. Maybe his dad was doing him a favor, maybe something wanted him to see this. Whatever the case, he saw into Almaji's past that day.

Will opened his eyes to be met with an onslaught of senses. He could see the busy city around him, hear the late night traffic and the drunken imbeciles who walked the streets alone. The rain poured down, soaking him in seconds and splashing against the pavement in powerful bursts of noise. The rainwater went up to his ankles and the sky seemed to refuse to give up anytime soon.

His vision zoomed into a woman running down the street, her bare feet becoming visible for half a second each time the other splashed into the water. She was practically naked, with a dress hanging off her that didn't cover enough to be legal. She was skinny, skin and bones, and her skin sprouted dark bruises every few inches. She looked panicked like she was running for her life, with a baby clenched to her chest wrapped in a ratty blanket.

Will took a step closer, having no doubts that the baby was Almaji. The woman must have been his mother, which would leave the godly parent as male. Even narrowing it down that little was a help.

The woman ran down an alley and dove behind the dumpster, a think piece of metal digging itself into her arm. She winced at first but didn't cry out, instead trying to shush the baby she held. She sung quietly an old lullaby Will barely recognized, her voice breaking and her chest heaving up and down violently. She looked near death.

Will's healing instincts kicked in as he ran to the woman and knelt beside her. He tried to touch her but his hand went right through, and she didn't seem to hear him when he spoke. Of course, it was a memory, but it still made Will sick to think that he couldn't do anything.

"Sage!" a man's angry cry sent Will stumbling to his feet. "Sage, you better come out immediately!"

The woman began to shake in fear but didn't listen, instead curling up around her baby as if that would protect it. A mother's love was powerful, but it couldn't stop physical pain.

"Sage!" the man appeared at the entrance of the alley, the lightning in the sky flashing at his arrival. He looked to be middle-aged with a pedophile-type mustache and a baseball cap on his head. His hands, large and clenched, swung at his sides with every step he took. "I saw you go down here! Where are you!?"

The woman kissed her baby on the forehead before laying him in a little opening at the back of the dumpster, away from the onslaught of rain. She kissed his forehead again, assured him that she loved him, and looked down at the blood gushing out of her arm from that piece of metal. From the look in her eyes and the intensity of her stare, she knew she was going to die soon. And she wouldn't leave her baby with this man.

"Miller!" she ran out from her hiding spot, her eyes wide in terror and her arms trying to hold up her dress. "Have you seen Malik?!"

The man's face filled with confusion. "I've been chasing you for blocks and that's all you have to say?! You were supposed to give the baby to me! Not lose him!"

"I wouldn't have lost him if you weren't chasing me!" she yelled back, her aching heart leaking into her words. "I want my baby!"

Miller stepped forward and grabbed her arm, created a cry of pain from the young woman. "Come with me."

"Where are you taking me?"

"Come with me!" he slapped her hard before dragging her out of the alley, leaving Will alone to stare at where she had left the baby. His real name...Malik...

The scene shifted, and he was plunged into more memories.


	23. Chapter 23

Will watched Almaji grow up. He watched the different homeless people that raised him, watched the miraculous ways that he survived. If he had been a mortal, he would have been dead years ago. But he must have been healing himself along with others through starvation and the bitter cold that winter brought. Will watched him go a month without food before finding a half eaten apple on the street, and throughout an entire winter without a coat.

He healed all those he could without even realizing it. He walked past a woman, brushed against her arm, and cured her influenza. He pick-pocketed a man and fixed his bad knee. The cop that tried to arrest him? He was even cured of Stage 1 cancer. Almaji never knew any of this, but whoever showed these memories to Will made sure he knew.

They became more recent until Will watched Camp Half-Blood take Almaji in. The Stolls were busy heading towards one of their favorite prank shops when they saw Almaji in an alley, his form small and curled up against the raging winds. He looked up at them, saw their arms full of goods that still had price tags on them, and ran over to them. "You stole all of that? How good are you?"

Travis and Connor looked at each other before looking at the boy, smiling. "How good are _you_?"

They spent the day with him, stealing food and drinks, thinking he was a son of Hermes also. They eventually invited him to come live with them at a camp and Almaji agreed. Who would ever pass up the chance for free food and a place to stay? They gave him his new name and he officially wasn't Malik anymore. As they led him away, the area around him fractured and broke. The perfect little web the Fates had set up collapsed until everything was darkness again.

And then he saw something he wasn't planning on seeing.

The light came back but to the day they found Almaji. Instead of finding him, they walked right past that alley. Almaji had been turned around, never seeing them and their arms full of things. They went back to Camp Half-Blood, and Almaji was left alone.

Only minutes after, an older woman found him and took him in. He saved her life, cured her disease, and she ended up curing cancer. She was like a mother to him, gave him a good home and family, and she ended up saving thousands of lives.

But they had taken that all away the moment the Fates were messed with.

Will snapped out of the visions with his eyes glazed over and his mouth open wide. He looked around feverishly, noticing the crowd that had gathered around him and Rachel. They whispered to each other, blaming it on the fact that he was the son of Apollo. But nobody had hijacked the oracle before.

"What did you see?" one of them finally piped up. "Was it a prophecy? Is the next Great Prophesy happening?"

Will merely shook his head.

Rachel put a hand to her head and stood up. "It was just memories. Nothing about the future. You all can leave now."

"But-"

"I said you all can leave now."

The crowd hesitantly dispersed, shooting Will curious and suspicious gazes. When they were all finally out of earshot, Rachel turned to Will. "So you saw everything?"

Will nodded again.

"The Fates must have been pretty pissed at you to show you all of that," Rachel admitted. She then looked at him and put her hands on his shoulders. "Relax. What's done is done. For now, all you can do is focus on making everything right."

"And how would I do that?" Will asked quietly. "When Nico hears about this, he'll flip. He'll blame himself."

"He shouldn't." Rachel agreed. "He should blame Anubis."

"Okay, my question is why Anubis did all of this in the first place," Will ranted. "Why'd he lie about Nico's dad being cool with it? Why'd he mix their powers knowing very well that Nico's soul would literally melt under it-"

"Hold up," Rachel cut him off. "You know more than you let on."

"I-"

"Looked into it? You've been keeping track of Nico's health, Will. You've kept track of his soul's health, also." Rachel smiled at him. "Cunning, aren't you?"

"I was only trying to help-"

"I know, I know," Rachel assured. "But shouldn't you tell him all that you know, to catch him up? So you two can figure this mess out. Because it's really messing shit up, you know."

"Trust me, I know." Will grumbled. "Fine, I'll talk to Nico."

"Good," Rachel stretched. "Now, I'm going home. IM me if you need anything."

Will nodded and took off to the Infirmary, anger still filling his chest. Why did Anubis get Nico into this? He messed him up in so much shit that there might not be a way to untangle it all. Still, Will had to try. He'd try for Nico.

And he had to figure out who exactly Almaji's parent was and see if there were any others like him. His powers...they were amazing. But he didn't even realize he had most of them, just like Nico.

"Nico, Al," Will greeted as he walked into the Infirmary, finding the two laying next to each other on the bed, playing Mythomagic. Nico didn't look as into it as he used to, but Almaji had the widest grin Will had ever seen on him. "How are you both doing?"

Nico glanced over at Will in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Will lied, pulling up a chair beside their bed and sitting down. "What are you two doing?"

"William Solace. What aren't you telling me?" Nico demanded. "Is something wrong?"

"Not...fully..." Will admitted. "I have to talk to you...about your...godly...friend..."

"You have a friend that's a god?" Almaji pipped up. "That's so cool!"

Nico nodded a little at him. "Al, why don't you go get the rest of my cards out of my cabin for me? That way we can make you a better deck."

"Here, I'll help you up," Will grabbed Almaji under the arms and hauled him to his feet, stumbling slightly when he felt the change in the boy. "Wow...you're getting big, Almaji."

"I know!" he looked between them before running out. Will looked over to Nico, his hands still held out in front of him. "His soul changed."

"Excuse me?"

"Did he heal you?" Will sat next to Nico and looked him over. "Did you feel better after he touched you?"

"Will, I don't understand-"

"Just answer it and I'll explain everything," Will promised. "But it's important."

Nico kicked the cards aside and laid back. "So what if I do feel better? Does he have magic healing powers now?"

Will hesitantly told Nico all that he had seen before explaining what he had felt. "When I picked Almaji up...his soul was weaker than the last time I touched him. There was a reason this godly power━his life source━was so weak when you looked at his soul."

"Those healing powers drain it," Nico concluded. "And he doesn't even know he's doing it."

Will nodded glumly. "Yeah,..."

Nico looked down sadly, mumbling to himself on different ways he could stop Almaji's powers before it was too late. He couldn't think of any.

"That's probably why there are no others like him around." Will realized. "If they were in close contact with people, if they had a family, their powers probably would have been completely drained before they were a year old. If people knew they were going to have these powers and took them as a newborn..."

"I get it." Nico snapped, frowning at the picture Will painted. "So we can't let him touch anyone."

"That's going to be harder than you think." Will replied. "He's a little kid, Nico. And he finally has a family."

"I know. I want him to have a family, Will. But I also want him alive." Nico retorted. He began to speak again but stopped short when Almaji ran into the room, carrying a deck of cards. "Found them!"

Nico gave Will a look before looking to Almaji. "Hey, Will said you can use some of his doctor gloves. Do you want to? I know you wanted to when you first got here..."

"Of course!" Almaji yelled. "Where are they?"

"Here," Will tossed him the box. "Put them on."

He looked to Nico, having a silent exchange with him. If material between skin to skin contact kept him from healing someone, they could work with that.


	24. Chapter 24

Almaji looked down at the fuzzy gloves Will had gotten him, frowning at the black color of them. He looked around the Infirmary, watching as the overflow took up the entire room and some cots outside. Blood splattered the white floor, walls, and ceiling. Bodies laid here and there, some with a white sheet over them. He saw an arm being reattached, a stab wound being treated, a body being laid to the side so that there was room for someone living.

Nobody paid the kid any attention, nobody saw how scarred he was. He couldn't find Will, couldn't find Nico, couldn't find the Stolls or anyone he knew. Everyone was gone.

 _ **The Day Before**_

"Al!" Nico jogged up to sit by Almaji at the training arena, watching as Percy sparred Clarisse. "How's it going?"

"I think Percy is going to win," Almaji stated. "But I don't know. It's been awhile. If he gets power from water, then he'll get power from his sweat. That's why I'm voting for him."

Nico looked over at the two, smiling when he saw how engaged they were. "I don't know, Clarisse can put up a good fight. We'll just have to see."

Almaji huffed in agreement as he watched the two, his eyes never failing him for a second. Nico sat with him for awhile before looking to him again, sick of playing with the thread that came out of his fingerless gloves. "How's schooling been with Will?"

Almaji made a face. "Boring."

Nico smiled at him. "Really? It can't be that bad. He promised to make it fun."

"It's horrible!" Almaji complained. "I have to watch him stitch people up and fix them and stuff. And all I get to do is watch."

"Didn't he say he'll let you do it sometime?" Nico asked. "Like a splint or something?"

"He lied," Almaji pouted. "I haven't done anything but wear gloves and not touch people. Even with gloves, he won't let me."

"He's stubborn like that," Nico admitted. "You just have to hang in there. I'll talk to him for you, okay?"

Almaji smiled. "Thanks, Nico."

Nico gave him a small wink before looking up at the darkening sky. "Hm, that's weird."

Almaji looked up also. "What?"

"It's getting dark. Not supposed to rain in camp borders." Nico explained, his eyes crossing to study a raindrop that landed on the bridge of his nose. "Odd..."

"Maybe it's to make the strawberries grow." Almaji got up and threw his hood on. "It's getting cold. Bye!" He waved to Nico and ran off, no doubt sensing what Nico did.

Something wasn't right, and it wasn't the last time Nico felt that.

* * *

At dinner that night, Chiron silenced them all for an announcement. There'd be a meeting tomorrow morning, and every cabin leader must go, no exceptions. His tone was grave and serious. Something was wrong.

* * *

Nico got up the next morning before dawn broke, dressing in all black as usual. He looked in the mirror, stared at himself as if he'd never look in the mirror again, and grabbed a pair of fingerless gloves. He looked at them, felt the material, and put them on. He didn't necessarily like the way they made him look, but it made it so that Almaji wasn't alone in his no-touching rules.

The mirror was dirty and dusty, barely every used with him as the only cabin stayer. Almaji was there a lot but didn't care about his appearance, still a child that only cared about playing and who was around him. The mirror was cracked near the top, a couple feet above Nico's head, and a trickle of glass fell down whenever someone walked too close. Nico stared at the crack, stared at himself, stared at Almaji's sleeping reflexion. He stared until his eyes got tired and the sun rose.

 _What's wrong?_ Anubis asked. _I can feel your fear._

 _Something isn't right._ Nico looked down at his fists, clenched them, unclenched. _Something bad is going to happen. I can feel it._

 _Let's hope you're wrong,_ Anubis replied. _This camp doesn't need anything else. They're finally at peace._

 _They won't be for long._ Nico admitted. _Something bad is going to happen._

 _I'll keep looking out._ Anubis promised. _Keep in touch_.

Nico got his combat boots on as someone knocked on the door quietly. He walked over and opened it, putting a finger to his lips as he saw Percy. "Almaji's sleeping. Is it time for the meeting?"

Percy nodded, his green eyes stormy. "Something's wrong. Chiron's acting...weird. Even Annabeth is worried."

Nico frowned, feeling Anubis stir in his mind again. "Let's get this over with."

They walked to the Big House in silence, each footfall the only noise that broke through. No one else seemed to be awake yet, except for the other cabin leaders that also walked towards the meeting. Nobody smiled, nobody looked towards the shining sun in thanks. Even Will Solace looked like he had barely slept.

"Hey, Nico," Will greeted as he stepped in pace with Nico and Percy. "Almaji still asleep?"

Nico nodded. "He'll be fine. Do you know what this meeting is about?"

Will shook his head. "Nope. But Chiron said it's mandatory. I had to leave someone else in charge of the Infirmary."

Nico smiled softly, talking sarcastically. "Oh, no, the empty Infirmary will ruin without you!"

Will rolled his eyes. "Not my fault I'm so used to it. Campers around here get hurt sharpening their own swords."

"That isn't that hard to do." Percy pipped up. "I mean, you..." He trailed off when he saw Nico's glare. "Right, sorry."

Will laughed briefly. "Nico, don't get so mad."

"I'm not mad, I'm on edge," Nico admitted as they got to the Big House. "This meeting will be...important."

"Then let's go get it over with." Will wrapped his arm around Nico's shoulders and led him in, both their smiles dropping.


	25. Chapter 25

Chiron looked at some of the most powerful campers wearily, looking each of them over to see if they knew anything. None of them seemed to know a thing, but most of them looked disturbed, including a certain son of Hades. Nico glared at the table with a look of hatred, his hands playing with his jackal pennant unknowingly. The pennant that Chiron had been watching for so long...

"So, what's this about?" Annabeth Chase spoke up, her gray eyes calculating. "What happened? It couldn't have been another prophesy, right?"

"No prophesies have been made since Apollo got over his punishment." Will reminded her. "And I think Rachel would have just told us if there had been one. Not in secret to Chiron."

"She hasn't been to camp since that one time you called her." Nico clarified. "I haven't felt her soul anywhere near here."

"What did you even call her here for?" Annabeth asked Will. "What was so important?"

Will glanced at Nico. "Um..."

"We wanted to know where Almaji came from, okay?" Nico snapped. "It wasn't anything important and you all can just forget about it."

"That's not why we're here." Chiron finally cut in. "As my strongest heroes, I'd appreciate it if you restrained from fighting."

He looked around at the silenced faces, his eyes remaining at Nico for a second longer than the others. "We have...a problem, to say the least. Last night, it was first noticed that the fleece is gone."

Every demigod in the room froze, not a word being spoken. It was something that had seemed impossible beforehand, but now the miracle was front and center as they all stared at Chiron with wide eyes and open mouths. The piece of news was random, something nobody had expected, and that almost beat the fact of how alarming it was. Who would ever have stolen the fleece? How hadn't they noticed?

"Excuse me?" Travis Stoll finally asked, glancing Chiron over for a sign that this was all some kind of prank. "What does that even mean for us?"

"Monsters will be able to get in," Annabeth answered, her face pale. "It'll be like a group of demigods in any other part of the world. Monsters will be drawn here so much, so frequently..."

"Who would have stolen it?" Will pipped in. "That's like... What would they need it for?"

"I don't think it matters." Nico rolled his eyes. "I doubt they're planning on giving it back when they're done with it."

Will elbowed him lightly. "You're the soul feeler. Have you felt anyone different around?"

"I haven't really been looking out since yesterday..." Nico admitted. "And no, I haven't. Everything has felt-" He paused for a moment, tilting his head as if he was listening to someone else. After a minute of this, he spoke normally, but Chiron could tell something had happened. "Whoever took the fleece didn't have to travel far into camp at all. It would have been right in the tree. I would have noticed if it was further in camp, but I wasn't really paying attention to the outskirts."

Everyone was silent, no doubt trying to think of how something so horrible had happened so randomly, so like it was nothing at all. Everything had been okay, the war was over, there wasn't a Great Prophesy, and even Apollo was out of trouble. But now things had gone downhill. Again.

"What are we going to do?" Annabeth asked, for the first time clueless. "Should...should we travel to Camp Jupiter until we can find it again?"

"That seems to be the wisest option," Chiron admitted. "I've contacted our Roman friends and they're welcome to us, and have offered assistance in the fleece's search."

Will let out a sigh of relief. "Thank the gods."

"If any of you know of where it could possibly be, now would be the time to speak up." Chiron continued, his eyes lingering on Nico again. "Anything could help, and we need that help, or there may be more deaths than we'd like to admit."

"Why would any of us know where it is?" Percy asked.

Nico tilted his head again, his eyes closed as he listened to something nobody else could hear.

"He's just being careful." Annabeth chided him. "Of course none of us know. The only ones that probably know are those who took it." She looked up at Chiron, frowning when she saw his eyes on Nico. "Was there any evidence of who it was?"

Chiron nodded, looking thoughtful. "Though it may come as a shock to many of you. By the tree that held the fleece, a necklace was found that resembled-"

"Some new Greek baddie that takes forever to kill?" Leo cut in. "Come onnnnn!"

"No," Chiron answered simply. "It wasn't anything Greek or Roman. It seemed to be a symbol of one of the Egyptian gods."

Annabeth's eyes widened, Percy put his head in his hands, and even Leo cast a fearful glance towards Nico. Nico himself still seemed to be out of the conversation, his chin resting on one hand and his eyes closed. Instead of a peaceful sleep, he seemed to be deep in thought and active listening. Not even noticing the sudden silence, he kept to himself in that manner.

"Nico," Will elbowed him. "Nico, are you paying attention?"

"Hm?" Nico snapped his eyes open. "What? What is it?"

"Chiron told us what was found." Will whispered to him. "It was Egyptian."

"Oh, Styx..." Nico cursed. He looked up at Chiron, opening his mouth to speak. He was cut off, however, by a camper running in, half in pajamas but covered in blood. He looked at the ones assembled there, speaking calmly but as if it was painful.

"Monsters...monsters got in...powerful monsters..." After he was finished speaking he collapsed, the wound in his back becoming visible. He was dead.

And then the screams started.


	26. Chapter 26

Almaji looked down at the fuzzy gloves Will had gotten him, frowning at the black color of them. He looked around the Infirmary, watching as the overflow took up the entire room and some cots outside. Blood splattered the white floor, walls, and ceiling. Bodies laid here and there, some with a white sheet over them. He saw an arm being reattached, a stab wound being treated, a body being laid to the side so that there was room for someone living.

Nobody paid the kid any attention, nobody saw how scarred he was. He couldn't find Will, couldn't find Nico, couldn't find the Stolls or anyone he knew. Everyone was gone. The monsters had attacked when nobody was expecting it, when most of them were asleep. Many of them wouldn't wake up.

Fighting still raged outside, the sounds of swords clashing and bodies falling filling his ears. Almaji, needing to find someone he knew, went to the doors of the Infirmary and looked out. Some demigods still stood against the onslaught of monsters, but most either fell back or were in the Infirmary. Percy had summoned water and was using it to the best of his ability, Leo had hands of fire, and Chiron himself fought in the battle. Will and Nico weren't seen, nor was Annabeth.

Almaji had never seen so many monsters, even when he had been on the streets of New York City. It was like all the monsters decided to attack at once, giving the campers no breaks or warnings. There was blood, blood everywhere, and it made him sick.

Without thinking, he took off running.

* * *

Percy could feel his powers fading. He was exhausted, he was at his limit, he saw no end to the fight. For every monster he killed, two more took its place. He hadn't seen his friends in awhile but could smell Leo's fire. Annabeth was supposed to be invisible somewhere, but that only made him more nervous. What if she was knocked out and that baseball cap was still on her head? What if they never found her?

* * *

Leo couldn't find Calyspo, couldn't find any of the Seven. All he could think about was watching those monsters burn, saving who he could. His mother had died by fire, but he could also use it to save.

* * *

Annabeth dodged and attacked, dodged and attacked... She didn't know how her baseball cap stayed on, but it did. She stayed invisible enough to escape the most brute of the monster's attacks. But she couldn't get past everything.

She had been pushed back towards the Big House, able to hear the sobbing children inside. They had hidden their youngest, hoping they'd never have to see or get into the fight. But near the steps to the porch, it seemed to be too good to be true.

But Annabeth kept attacking, kept pushing them back with all her might. If Nico was fighting on their side, they'd win easily. That's just how powerful he had become. But why hadn't she seen any of his powers since the first minutes of the fight?

* * *

The sounds of swords clashing, the sounds of grunts and cries of victory, the sounds of pain and exhaustion. All reached Nico's ears, but he couldn't bring himself to even sit up. When he opened his weary eyes, he was looking above him to the canapy of forest trees. Nothing seemed to stir, only a light wind here and there. It almost looked peaceful, but the faded sounds made his heart race. Were they still fighting? He should have gotten rid of all the monsters with that attack.

Why'd he feel so...out of it? Nico had no energy, no remembrance of what had happened to him. One minute he was killing monsters, the next he was waking up on this forest floor. Anubis screamed in his mind, but he could barely hear him. It was like Anubis was slowly fading out of his subconscious, slowly breaking away...

The only thing that brought him to his feet that day was Almaji's scream. He was still confused, still dazed, but he managed to run over to the kid. He had to. He had to protect him.

* * *

Almaji hadn't meant to run into the woods, hadn't meant to go where he most usually feared. It was dark, away from the other campers, and said to host some monsters. But there he was, running from where he was usually safe to somewhere he had never been safe before. It was crazy how things turned out sometimes.

The tree he decided to hide in was a low branched, thick-trunked willow tree. He climbed the branches quickly, cutting his skin here and there as he climbed carelessly. The only thing he thought about was getting to the top, getting away from things that could harm him. He hadn't been that afraid for a while. What had changed so drastically in such a short period of time?

He hadn't noticed the branch wasn't there until he went to step on it, his foot falling through the thin air and his body following. He screamed on the way down, his body landing in a thick clump of twisted limbs at the base of the tree. A monster had just stepped into the clearing, just laid eyes on its prey...

It would have killed Almaji that day if Nico hadn't stepped in front of the killing blow, if he hadn't stepped in to take his place. For the last time, Nico found it his place to screw the Fates. Screw them for what they did to Bianca, screw them for what they had done to his mother. It was them that had written that story, them that had made Nico into who he was today. But now he could get back at them, make them reassemble their knitting once more. He wasn't going to let them kill Almaji, not yet.

He was writing his own path, even if it was at the end.


	27. Chapter 27

The moment Nico stepped in front of Almaji, Will stepped into view of what was happening. He had heard Almaji's scream and had come immediately, but Nico was quicker.

Will saw everything. He saw the moment Nico was stabbed through the chest, saw the blood that splattered against Almaji and the tree.

He saw the moment Nico died, the moment the breath left his body.

Anger had filled him, anger in the deepest form in the needs to protect your family. He killed that monster━he would never remember how━but that monster was dead before it could hurt anyone else. He made sure of it.

As Will watched the golden dust sink into the soil, he heard Almaji's sobs and the sounds of his terrified breathing. He didn't want to look, didn't want to see Nico, but he turned and kneeled down next to the boy to hug him. As he snuck a look at Nico, his heart sunk when he saw those dark eyes, unblinking, dull, stolen of life.

Almaji helped him carry Nico back to camp that day, and he never thought twice about that the small boy was missing a glove.

* * *

Nico's heart had been fighting, beating when there was barely any blood left. Until his final breath, he fought until he had no fight left in him, and then he fought a little more. But some things are inevitable, no matter how hard you fight. And his death was. His heart finally stopped, his blood emptied out, and his eyes went dull to the world. He could see no more, hear no more, speak and feel no more. His body was nothing. From dust to dust, ash to ash.

As his spirit left his body, as his vision blackened into nothing, he saw those Fates. He saw them spinning a web he had never seen before, a web that had seemed perfect. It was his story, his story and all its twists and turns. They had known all along what would happen, known all along that Almaji would be taken by Camp Half-Blood and that Percy wouldn't fall into Tartarus. They had known all along...

And had made sure Nico knew he would never get away with trying to deny the Fates.

* * *

Will worked in the Infirmary until his hands bled from stitching and the sun set, and he continued on from there. After the last monster was killed, those healthy enough stayed on watch while everyone else tried to help with the damage. The bodies were put to the side until the injured were taken care of, which took all night in the shining moonlight. To try and lift the spirits of the injured, his siblings would sing old and new tunes alike. Some would go for a reenactment of _Frozen_ , while others sang the words to the new _Hamilton_ soundtrack. It kept them all awake until the coffee started to brew.

Percy and Annabeth popped in from time to time when they were off of guard duty but didn't stay long. They didn't know who was among the dead and were scared to look. But Nico's absence had been noticed by everyone.

"Will," Percy finally greeted as he walked up to the son of Apollo, who was busy stitching up a large gash on an Ares camper. "I have a question if you don't mind."

"Shoot it." Will's tired eyes were wide with caffeine and its aftereffects as he glanced up at Percy, his hands not stopping for a minute. "And can you check Almaji for me?"

"Sure," Percy had to keep himself from plugging his ears as _Frozen_ came back on the singing list. "But my question. Couldn't Nico have taken all the monsters out in the first minute?"

Will was silent for a minute, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "I had thought so, Percy..." A tear made its way down Will's cheek. "I thought so..."

"What happened?" Percy's heart sped up. "Where's Nico?"

Will looked up at him, his eyes shattered with pain and grief. "With the rest of the dead. They're all being flown over to Camp Jupiter, now. Hazel will have to do the death proceedings, now."

* * *

Almaji fixed his gloves the best he could as he stared at the meal that had been placed in front of him. The eggs didn't look as good as they used to, the bacon reminded him too much of how it was actually made. The toast was burnt and no butter had been spared for it. Every inch of it made him want to puke more than the thought of all the bodies around him. He sat in the back room of the Infirmary with them, that the only place he could go to be by himself.

"I'm not hungry," Almaji told himself before pushing his plate by the nearest of the dead. Megan Campbell, daughter of Apollo. "You can have it if you want, Megan."

He looked back down at his gloved hands, tears starting to pour from his eyes. "Nico...I miss you...Nico..."

He kept to himself, hidden away from the living. It was the easiest thing, then.


	28. Chapter 28

Nico woke up with the strange feeling that he had been asleep too long and the knowledge that it only felt like minutes. Nothing hurt━there was no pain even though the stab wound covered the whole left side of his chest━and everything felt clear. He felt like, well, him. He didn't feel like he was sharing his body with anyone anymore.

 _Anubis?!_ Nico refused to open his eyes, scared with what would meet him. _Anubis, what happened?!_

There was no answer, just as if anyone else screamed to themselves.

 _Anubis, I'm scared..._ Nico laid in silence for another couple minutes before opening his eyes, frowning at the unfamiliar room around him. When he sat up, he could see the scale...no...it couldn't be...

"The Hall of Maat..." Nico breathed out in amazement, his eyes landing on Ammut and the scale. "So...I'm dead..."

"You're finally awake." Anubis' voice broke Nico out of his sense of awe. Looking behind him, Anubis was sitting on the ground, watching Nico. "It's been awhile."

"What...?" Nico blinked the confusion away. "What are you doing out of my head? What am I doing here? Why..."

"You're dead," Anubis replied bluntly. "Why the Egyptian afterlife? I'm not sure. Probably because my soul was entangled in yours."

Nico got to his feet, frowning at the absence of...everything. No pain, no feelings, no feeling of being alive. Nico tried to draw blood with his fingernails, but he simply didn't bleed.

"All your blood drained out about a minute after you were stabbed," Anubis explained. "There's no point in trying to get any more out."

"Shut up," Nico looked around helplessly. "There's no way my heart is going to be lighter than your stupid feather."

Anubis laughed softly. "I think we both know that, Nico."

"So, what do I do?" Nico ran his hands through his hair. "I don't want to be eaten by Ammut, no offense."

"I don't think anybody would take offense to that." Anubis shook his head. "Look, Nico, we don't have much time."

"Much time for what?"

"I'm the god of death. I know a soul that can go back when I see one."

* * *

One by one, they laid the burial shrouds on the white stretchers. An Athena kid here, an Ares kid there. The cabins made each of the shrouds separately, knowing every demigod deserved their own burial rights, despite the fact that so many had died in such a short period of time. In mortal wars, mass trenches would be dug and the bodies would be dumped. But a group of teenagers knew better than wars full of adults, again.

Will helped his cabin make theirs. Only three people from their cabin had died, but he still felt like they lost a good chunk of their siblings. Megan at age 16, Jordan at age 17, Mikey at age 12. They had been their best archers and had been right in the fight. Their very last fight.

Megan's shroud had Apollo's symbol loud and proud and was bright yellow, just like the colors she always wore. An optimist until her death. Jordan's was a deep purple despite her heritage. And little Mikey? His mom came in to help with his. Bows and arrows, Apollo's chariot, a sketch of his favorite toy. Despite his small frame, his stretcher was the heaviest.

Will watched the rest of the bodies be moved to their respected cabins, his heart sinking when he saw the only one left, the only one without a cabin to take him. Nico━no, his body. It wasn't Nico anymore━had grown as pale as the other corpses and his lips were tinted blue. His eyes, still open, stared blankly at the ceiling above him. A white sheet covered the rest of his body, but if you pulled it back you'd reveal one of the largest amounts of blood Will had ever seen from one person. That was what happened when you got stabbed right through the heart with an instrument bigger than the heart itself.

"Neeks," Will leaned against the wall for support, not even realizing he was crying until he couldn't see Nico anymore through the blurry tears. He wiped at his eyes once, twice, three times before giving up. There'd be no way to clear them now that the tears had started. "Nico...Nico..."

He broke down for a good ten minutes before his eyes went dry and his throat couldn't make another noise. He stared blankly at Nico's body, stared blankly at the boy he wanted to start a family with some day, wanted to get married to someday. He stared...

He started his shroud.

* * *

He didn't want to tell anybody, didn't want to worry Will more than he already was. He didn't want to cause pain to those already suffering.

But Almaji felt sicker than he ever had before.

Sharp pains lined his stomach and his energy seemed to have been stolen right from him. Every move, every breath, every twitch of the fingers took more out of him that he ever felt possible. When did even breathing take all of his efforts?

So he laid on Nico's old bed, stared at the bunk bed above him, and tried to fall asleep.


	29. Chapter 29

"You really think that'll work?" Nico asked, having been sitting with Anubis for what felt like forever. Souls came here and there, all of which Nico watched being eaten. "I mean...it seems impossible to come back from the dead."

"It's more common than you'd think," Anubis admitted. "I'm sure your father gets lots of paperwork from that. And the Catholic side of things? They write entire books on it."

"I'm not a Catholic, I don't know what you're trying to tell me." Nico sighed. "Just...let's do this."

Anubis smiled. "I don't know if we'll talk again, after this."

"What?" Nico's head snapped up. "Why?"

"You died. That was the only way to separate our souls, remember?" Anubis had a grim smile. "Seems your goal is finally complete. This is what you wanted, all along."

Nico's expression dropped. "O-Oh...oh...that's...good, I guess..."

"You don't sound like it." Anubis smiled. "What? Going to miss me?"

Nico scowled. "In your dreams, jackal brain. Let's just get this over with."

Anubis nodded. "Goodbye, Nico. I hope you have a good life."

* * *

Will laid the shroud over Nico's lifeless body, let the piece of fabric cover his former love. He could only hope Nico was with his father now, that he was on his way to Elysium. Maybe even reincarnation. Will just hoped Nico wasn't being punished for the wrong he had done, because he had done a lot of it.

Sometimes things happened so fast, just a flash of something that wasn't there before, something so horribly and terribly wrong that your brain━even your soul━refused to believe it. But your eyes, they saw it. Your eyes saw everything that happened before you and you know what those eyes saw. A flash of movement, a flash of that dead body's arm moving...

"Nico?" Will croaked. He stared down at the lifeless form, stared until his eyes were raw. Nico didn't move again.

"I'm an idiot." Will put his head in his hands, closing his eyes against the forming tears. "An idiot...such an idiot...why am I such an idiot..."

* * *

Nico laid in darkness for awhile after Anubis disappeared from him. He laid there, trying to move, trying to speak. He laid there for what felt like years to him. Had Will forgotten him? Had they all moved on? What if they had buried or burned his body? What would he do, then?

Would he be a ghost when he woke up?

* * *

Almaji finally found Will when they were on the plane to Camp Jupiter, his eyes swollen from crying and his clothes wrinkled and matted with blood. He sat beside the crying son of Apollo, whimpering slightly at the pains in his stomach. "Will..."

Will looked over at him, his voice dry and hoarse. "What, Al?"

"I'm sick." Almaji cuddled into Will's side. "I hurt so bad... Ever since we came back from the woods."

"Where do you hurt?" Despite the sorrow and grief that filled him, he was still a healer. "Show me."

Almaji held his stomach before moving his hand around his heart. "All over here... Hurts so bad..."

"Can we take your shirt off so I can check?" Will asked. "Just so I'm sure you're alright. Because I'm not losing you, either."

Almaji took his jacket off before pulling his shirt over his head, setting it in his lap as he started to shiver in the cold air. He looked up at Will, his arms wrapped around himself. "Please hurry...it's cold."

Will didn't answer, having been staring at his chest in shock. After a minute his eyes flickered up to Almaji's face before looking back to his chest. "C-Can you unwrap your arms, please?"

Almaji pouted in annoyance but did as he was told, putting his arms to his sides. "Why?"

Will called for Annabeth, his voice shaky as he stared. Above his heart, right where Nico's was, was a copycat version of Nico's wound. A hole over his heart, larger than his heart, but sealed off and not open. His skin under it and all down his torso bloodstained, the amount of blood Nico would have shed...

"What-? Oh, gods..." Annabeth's eyes widened at the sight. "Will, do you think...?"

"Almaji, think carefully." Will looked in his eyes. "Did you ever lose one of your gloves around Nico's b-body? Did you ever actually touch him?"

Almaji looked away from him in guilt. "Maybe..."

"When? When did you do it?" Will questioned, his heart speeding up with the possibilities. "When did you touch him?"

"When we were carrying him back to camp," Almaji mumbled. "My glove was in my pocket cause I-I...I wanted to save Nico." He started to bawl, his small lips trembling. "I wanted to save him!"

"It's okay, Al," Annabeth promised. "It's okay. Don't worry. You're just a little hurt, now. But it should go away."

"What about Nico?" Almaji asked through his sobs. "Will he come back?"

"We don't know." Will admitted, trying not to get his hopes up. "We'll see when we get to California, okay?"

Almaji nodded, putting his shirt and jacket back on. "Can I sleep, then? It'll come quicker."

"Yeah, yeah." Will ran a hand through his hair. "Whatever you want. But you need to stop crying so you can sleep."

As Almaji tried to quiet himself, Will looked to Annabeth with his emotions painted on his face. Could Almaji have actually saved the son of Hades?

When they got to Camp Jupiter, they checked all the bodies. Nico wasn't among them.


	30. Books

**/Series complete/**

 **Book One: Death's Son (And All Its Perks)-complete**

 **Book Two: Death's Son (Even After Death)-complete**

 **Book Three: Death's Son (And All Its Jobs)-complete**

 **Book Four: Death's Son (And All Its Memories)-complete**


End file.
